Wang Guangyi (1957 Heilongjiang) is one of the pioneers of Chinese contemporary art movement and the leader of the "Political Pop"
movement. Wang has created his own brand of paintings and sculptures based on heroic images borrowed from the Cultural Revolution. In
the 1980s, he created a sensation in Beijing by challenging standard portraits of Mao. He painted the Chairman behind a set of
grids or boxed lines, hinting at a needed re-examination of the Chinese leader. And in the 1990s, his "Great Criticism" series of Cultural Revolution
portraits were hailed as a clever blend of Communist propaganda and western commercialism.
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By placing some of the world's most recognizable brand names and logos, like Coca-Cola, Visa and McDonald's, in Maoist China - Wang Guangyi seemingly
mocked the propaganda of both east and west. He has also, in some ways, fashioned a powerful set of new symbols for the world's fastest growing economy, one swept up in the race
to become a capitalist country with socialist characteristics.
Wang lives and works in Beijing.
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