Xu Bing

(Chinese, born 1955)

Xu Bing is a contemporary Chinese installation artist and one of China’s best-known creative figures. A recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, he is celebrated for his “capacity to contribute importantly to society, particularly in printmaking and calligraphy.” Born in Chongqing, China in 1955, Xu grew up in Beijing where he studied printmaking at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. One of his best-known works, Book from the Sky (1987–1991), earned Xu international recognition in the 1980s. The work is a massive installation of hundreds of volumes and scrolls printed with 4,000 imagined Chinese characters, which were cut by hand into wood printing blocks. Describing his art practice, Xu has said: “I treat it in a wild way, not in a fixed way. This is good—you can bring something special, something new into contemporary art. If you can find a correct way to face your background, your tradition, maybe you can change that background in a good way.” Solo exhibitions of his work have been held at The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the British Museum in London, among other major institutions. Xu currently lives and works in Beijing, China and New York, NY.

Related Categories

Asian Art, Contemporary Art, Drawings and Works on Paper

Related Artists

Gu Gan, Lui Shou-Kwan, Qin Feng, Wang Tiande, Yang Jiechang

Xu Bing Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Xu Bing (429 results)
Square word calligraphy

Xu Bing

Square word calligraphy

Sale Date: October 11, 2008

Auction Closed

Little red book (set of 2), 2000

Xu Bing

Little red book (set of 2), 2000

Sale Date: October 5, 2008

Auction Closed

Quotation from Mao Tse-Tung, 2000

Xu Bing

Quotation from Mao Tse-Tung, 2000

Sale Date: September 17, 2008

Auction Closed

Coact

Xu Bing

Coact

Sale Date: April 29, 2008

Auction Closed

New english calligraphy

Xu Bing

New english calligraphy

Sale Date: April 29, 2008

Auction Closed

New english calligraphy: 100 surnames

Xu Bing

New english calligraphy: 100 surnames

Sale Date: April 29, 2008

Auction Closed

Landscript - Revisit, 2002

Xu Bing

Landscript - Revisit, 2002

Sale Date: May 25, 2008

Auction Closed

A book from the sky (4 works), 1991

Xu Bing

A book from the sky (4 works), 1991

Sale Date: May 25, 2008

Auction Closed

The drawing from the Project of..., 2000

Xu Bing

The drawing from the Project of..., 2000

Sale Date: May 24, 2008

Auction Closed

A pool with tadpoles, 1987

Xu Bing

A pool with tadpoles, 1987

Sale Date: April 9, 2008

Auction Closed

New English calligraphy - First names

Xu Bing

New English calligraphy - First names

Sale Date: April 9, 2008

Auction Closed

New English calligraphy - Family names

Xu Bing

New English calligraphy - Family names

Sale Date: April 9, 2008

Auction Closed

Holding the brush, 1996

Xu Bing

Holding the brush, 1996

Sale Date: April 9, 2008

Auction Closed

The living word, 2001

Xu Bing

The living word, 2001

Sale Date: April 9, 2008

Auction Closed

New English calligraphy: Quotations from..., 2003

Xu Bing

New English calligraphy: Quotations from..., 2003

Sale Date: March 17, 2008

Auction Closed

Mirror to analyze the world (Volume 3,..., 1987–1991

Xu Bing

Mirror to analyze the world (Volume 3,..., 1987–1991

Sale Date: March 17, 2008

Auction Closed

A revelational book

Xu Bing

A revelational book

Sale Date: December 1, 2007

Auction Closed

Book from the sky (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1987–1991

Xu Bing

Book from the sky (+ 3 others; 4 works), 1987–1991

Sale Date: October 13, 2007

Auction Closed

New English calligraphy (Chairman Mao's words)...

Xu Bing

New English calligraphy (Chairman Mao's words)...

Sale Date: October 7, 2007

Auction Closed

Silkworm series - The foolish old man who tried...

Xu Bing

Silkworm series - The foolish old man who tried...

Sale Date: October 7, 2007

Auction Closed

Book from the sky (set of 4), 1988–1991

Xu Bing

Book from the sky (set of 4), 1988–1991

Sale Date: October 7, 2007

Auction Closed

New English calligraphy - Quotations from...

Xu Bing

New English calligraphy - Quotations from...

Sale Date: October 7, 2007

Auction Closed

A big river (The fifth complex number series), 1986

Xu Bing

A big river (The fifth complex number series), 1986

Sale Date: June 28, 2007

Auction Closed

The five series of repetitions: Living pond, 1987

Xu Bing

The five series of repetitions: Living pond, 1987

Sale Date: June 2, 2007

Auction Closed

English (US)

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