At Council Auction’s autumn auction held at the Beijing International Hotel Conference Center on 6th December 2016, one of the highlights were the artworks from “Countdown: Mr. Johnson Chang’s important private collection”.
Ten contemporary artworks belonging to Chang, a Hong Kong-based art curator and dealer, were auctioned, among which was Zhang Xiaogang’s “Bloodline: Big Family II ” with a RMB 20 million start-up and ultimately auctioned at RMB 38.18 million! (USD 4,832,606)
‘Bloodline: ‘Big Family II’ is typical of the series in which Zhang used the family photo and identification photo format commonly seen in the 1950s and 1960s.The figures in his paintings — parents and children — wear gray suits and have identical hair styles, just like in the old photos.
Their faces are expressionless and their eyes look emotionless. Zhang’s works show a critical attitude of the past when collectivism was favored over individuality.