Skin No. 15 - Gazing Upwards
2025
Oil on canvas and mixed media
59 1/6 x 47 1/4 in.
© Zhang Xiaogang, courtesy
Pace Gallery
A defining figure in the development of contemporary Chinese art, Zhang Xiaogang is internationally recognized for paintings that examine memory, identity, and collective history. Born in Kunming in 1958 and educated at the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, he emerged as part of the generation that transformed Chinese art following the Cultural Revolution. Best known for his celebrated Bloodline series, inspired by mid-twentieth-century Chinese family portraits, Zhang uses monochromatic palettes, carefully rendered figures, and subtle symbolic details to explore themes of memory, family, identity, and collective history. His work reflects the relationship between personal experience and broader social narratives, creating images that resonate across cultures and generations.
His work has been exhibited extensively at major institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, as well as numerous international biennials. Widely collected by museums and private collectors alike, Zhang is regarded as one of the most important artists to emerge from contemporary China.
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