Art by Zhang Xiaogang, one of the 8 artists offered his own museum in SichuanWhen is freedom of artistic expression celebrated in a one-party state? When it brings in the big bucks, of course.
China's modern art scene is thriving, and art collectors aren't the only ones who have taken notice. To bolster development and tourism, the local government in Sichuan offered 8 contemporary artists - including Zhang Xiaogang, Fang Lijun, and Wu Shanzhuan - their own museums to operate in Dujiangyang, a city near the provincial capital of Chengdu. Construction is slated to begin soon with an investment of $13 million; the museums are scheduled to open in October 2008.
From The New York Times,
“I was very happy when I heard that they were going to give me my own museum,” said Mr. Wu, 47, whose radical red character paintings and nude performance art are well known here and abroad. “Right now, I have no idea what I’m going to do with it. In the future all the artists will sit down and discuss how these museums will be operated.”
