Huang Zhou  黃胄

 

 2011 Rank:13     Auction Revenue:US$91.06 million

2010 Rank:29     Auction Revenue:US$45.62 million

Huang Zhou(1925-1997), born in Li County, Hebei Province, was a Chinese artist and collector who made great contributions to boosting modern Chinese art. He was also known as Liang Yezi, or Miao Di. In his early years, Huang served as a staff artist in the military.

Huang, who deeply believed that "art comes from life," travelled across the country to experience different ways of life and look for materials for his work. He was well versed in figure portrayals, landscapes, flowers and animals, especially large-scaled paintings with grand scenes and various figures. He was best-noted for his paintings which depict the happy life of ethnic minorities. His lifelike donkeys are well known at home and abroad.

Huang's best result in 2011 was generated by his 1976 painting "Herding Horse"(96cm × 142cm), which fetched 60.38 million yuan (US$9.5 million) in May at Guardian China, also a record high for the artist.