SHEN SIYUAN/COURTESY THE ARTIST AND DAVID ZWIRNER
Artist Liu Ye will now be represented by David Zwirner gallery, which has locations in New York, London, and Hong Kong.
Liu, who has shown with Sperone Westwater gallery in New York and Vitamin Creative Space in Guangzhou and Beijing, will have his first show with Zwirner at one of its New York locations in 2020; the gallery is also planning to show his work at Art Basel Hong Kong later this month.
Liu is widely known in Asia for his paintings of disproportionate figures in stark, nondescript settings. Inspired by fairy tales and European modernism in equal measure, Liu has recently begun a series that focuses on the covers of splayed-open books.
The Beijing-based artist joins a roster that has historically focused on artists from Europe and the United States, including Neo Rauch, Christopher Williams, Lisa Yuskavage, Wolfgang Tillmans, and others. Last year, Zwirner opened a space in Hong Kong, a year after it began showing the work of the late Korean artist Yun Hyong-keun. It also shows Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama.
“Seamlessly integrating Western and Eastern influences into his dynamic canvases, from old master traditions to minimalism, Liu’s multifaceted works are as equally engaged in a dialogue with art history as they are with contemporary painting and sculpture,” David Zwirner, the gallery’s founder, said in a statement. “His visual acuity and depth is paired with his technical mastery of the medium, making him one of the most exciting painters working today.”