Ai Xuan 艾轩

From ArtSpeak China (ASC) Wiki

Ai Xuan is a naturalistic painter whose scenes usually present lone children in vistas of Tibetan landscape. A member of the Chinese Artists' Association, Ai is also a full professor at the Beijing Painting Institute, and co-founder of the China Realists group. Born in 1947, Ai lives and works in Beijing. 

Contents 1 Date & Place of Birth 2 Childhood & Family 3 Education & Development 4 Art 5 Exhibitions 6 Awards & Honors 7 Gallery Affiliation(s) 8 Acquisitions & Auctions 9 References

[edit] Date & Place of Birth

Ai was born on November 11, 1947 in Jinhua, Zhejiang.

[edit] Childhood & Family

Ai is the son of the late Chinese poet Ai Qing, as well as the half-brother of renowned Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei. Ai Xuan (also known as GuiGui by his closer family members) resides in Beijing with his wife Jin Tao and daughter Ai Jiayi.

[edit] Education & Development

In 1967, he graduated from the Central Academy of Fine Arts Preparatory School in Beijing. His further studies were interrupted by the Cultural Revolution from 1969 to 1973, when he and his family were relocated to Tibet to work on a military farm. He has, however, stated that this period provided him with subject matter for most of his paintings.^[1]

[edit] Art

Up to the present time, most of Ai's paintings have drawn their themes from the folklore and natural scenery of the Tibetan region. Despite returning to Beijing after the Cultural Revolution, Ai has since traveled back to Tibet many times, making it the central focus of his work.^[2]

Ai's work is noted for taking advantage of physical scenery to express emotion. His paintings almost always feature only one figure, aiming to express the individual's loneliness and isolation. Such a singular focus on the solitary not only stems from his personal experiences, but also from his philosophy on life. The sentimental figures in his paintings seem lost in profound meditation and stamped with a deep sense of loss.^[2] 

In 1987, Ai spent a year in the United States, serving as a visiting professor at Oklahoma City University. While there he met with several noted Western artists and hosted his own solo exhibition. Ai also travelled to Great Britain to participate in an auction organized to raise funds for renovation of the Great Wall of China.^[3]

[edit] Exhibitions

For Ai's exhibition history, click here.

[edit] Awards & Honors

Ai has won several awards including: in 1981, a second-class National Youth Arts Award for his oil painting Wholesale; and a Sichuan Outstanding Works Prize; and, in 1986, a second-place Asian Art Award for his oil painting Snow.^[4]

[edit] Gallery Affiliation(s)

Ai is represented by Triumph Art Space in Beijing and Anna Ning Fine Art in Hong Kong.

[edit] Acquisitions & Auctions

Ai's work regularly sets record prices at auctions in Beijing and Hong Kong.  For select resale records, click here.

[edit] References

1. ↑ http://www.hefnercollection.com/thehefnercollection/portfoliotest.paintings.asp?artistID=1&artistOrder=1
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} http://www.highlight-art.com/en/listhj.asp?id=204&type=ysj&showjiage=no
3. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ai_Xuan
4. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ai_Xuan