This book presents the first in-depth analysis of the staggering growth of the Chinese contemporary art market, from an emerging bit-part player in the 1990s and early 2000s to a key pillar of the global art trade, representing over a fifth of all worldwide art sales. In an engaging personal account Lisa Movius throws light on the fascinating phenomenon of the Chinese art market. She reveals a colourful world, seething with contradictions, in which deep-pocketed collectors inhabit auction houses owned by the People's Liberation Army, vast artists' studios with hundreds of staff churn out work like factory assembly lines, and a frenzy for museum building sees Monets installed in the basements of cupcake-scented malls. How has the incredible expansion of the Chinese contemporary art market been possible, who are the key players behind it and what art and artists are fuelling its growth? For anyone interested or engaged in the global art trade, this detailed account offers vital and often unexpected answers.
