NYT: Own Original Chinese Copies of Real Western Art!

[Duncan Grant]

This is an interesting article about "fine" art as a 21st century commodity. It examines the place where global commerce and culture intersect - you won't believe it. x(

Don't miss the slide show.
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SHENZHEN, China - Zhang Libing has painted more van Goghs than van Gogh ever did.

At 26, Mr. Zhang estimates that he has painted up to 20,000 copies of van Gogh's works in a paint-spattered third-floor garret here where freshly washed socks and freshly painted canvases dry side-by-side on the balcony.

A block away, Ye Xiaodong, 25, is completing 200 paintings of a landscape of pink and white flowers in another third-floor garret. And down the street, Huang Yihong, also 25, stands in an art-packed store and paints a waterfall tumbling gracefully into a pool, mixing the paints on an oval palette.

China's low wages and hunger for exports have already changed many industries, from furniture to underwear. The art world, at least art for the masses, seems to be next, and is emerging as a miniature case study of China's successful expansion in a long list of small and obscure industries that when taken together represent a sizable chunk of economic activity.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/15/business/worldbusiness/15paint.html?ex=1279080000&en=79f30d63376a7e41&ei=5089&partner=rssyahoo&emc=rss

[FloridaPat]

1. Most are crap but some are quite good. But I have an art background

and would notice a bad copy more than the average person.