“I have never wasted money on horses, yachts, cars, or other luxury goods. My only hobby is art. That’s the only place I don’t care about spending money.” – John Day Rockefeller Jr.
Rockefeller’s Art Legacy
In the business world, the wealth of the Rockefeller family is famous. The family owns the Standard Oil Company, Chase Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, Rockefeller Centre, University of Chicago, Rockefeller University, the World Trade Center that collapsed on 9/11, and the New York Museum of Modern Art. When looking at American history, the Rockefeller family name is everywhere.
While there is an old Chinese saying that wealth only lasts for three generations, starting from John Davison Rockefeller, who is known as the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history, the Rockefeller family has flourished for six generations.
Through the Rockefeller family’s extensive artistic sponsorships, investments, collections, and other explorations, their name is not only synonymous with wealth and business success, but also with artistic influence. Through their legacy of art collection in China and the United States, their deep impression will remain in the world, for there is no legend that is endless, there is only endless art.
Rose Rock Art Club Beijing
John D. Rockefeller Sr.’s son, John D. Rockefeller Jr, began the now famous Rockefeller art collection. Since then, the Rockefeller name has become inseparable from the tireless pursuit of art and culture.
To this day, the Rockefeller family sponsors not only its own museum, the New York Museum of Modern Art, but also many art foundations in many different countries. A notable organization established by the Rockefellers is the Rose Rock Art Club in Beijing. The Rockefellers created this culture group to emphasize their friendship and connections with the Chinese art world, and it has flourished as a prestigious exhibition space for Chinese contemporary artists.
In 2014, the Rockefeller family invited the Chinese contemporary artist Cai Zhisong to be the ambassador for the Rockefeller Rose Rock Art Club.
Cai Zhisong’s Art Meets Luxury
Cai Zhisong is also the 2014 recipient of the Rockefeller Chinese Young Artist Prize, and is a representative of Rolls Royce, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Jaguar, Chanel, Christian Dior, and other luxury brands. Cai Zhisong’s artworks have proven to be one of the greatest alternative investment potentials through the current unstable market in the world. His works have also been collected by many large organisations, luxury brands, private banks, contemporary art museums, royal families and private collectors worldwide.
Cai Zhisong is undoubtedly one of most influential sculptors in China. He has previously received a number of notable awards including the Gangsong Family Foundation Award, the Taylor prize at the Paris Autumn Salon, the bronze medal of the Tenth National Art Exhibition, China, the President’s Prize at Central Academy of Fine Arts and so on. He represented China to participate in the 54th Venice Biennale, and was selected by the French magazine ‘Art Actuel’ as the top 100 global leaders in the arts in 2012. His works have been collected by many museums and institutions including The Rockefeller Foundation, Tyler Foundation, The Newark Museum, Regensburg Museum, Germany, The National Art Gallery in Greece, The National Art Museum of China and many others. He broke the highest auction record three times for Chinese artists in the international auction market.
