The Rise of Chinese Contemporary Art in the West

This book examines how Western liberal-democratic values and the art-world valorization of artistic and political dissidence contributed to the rise of Chinese contemporary art in the 1990s. Focusing on nine artists—Wang Du, Wang Keping, Huang Yong Ping, Yang Jiechang, Chen Zhen, Yan Pei-Ming, Shen Yuan, Ru Xiaofan, and Du Zhenjun—who migrated to Paris in and around 1989, the book explores how their work was recognized before and after the Tiananmen Square incident. Through personal interviews and the analysis of important exhibitions, reviews, and events, the book demonstrates how these artists were celebrated for both their artistic and their political dissidence.