As a rule, most people have little interest in their creative contemporaries, preferring artists of past centuries. Crowning acquaintance occurs only in the case of a unique event: theft or throwing of a picture / installation, creation of a new work from completely unexpected materials. However, contemporary artists are not discouraged and continue to create for the joy of themselves and their admirers, earning considerable amounts.
Western creators
One of the most popular artists of our time is the American Jeff Koons. The creator's favorite style is kitsch. Bright colors, randomness, unusual materials and ideas - this is what allowed Koons to gain wide popularity back in the 80s of the 20th century. Today, the artist is the president of his own Jeff Koons Corporation, which creates unusual sculptures. The most popular works: "statuettes" in full growth of Michael Jackson with his monkey, covered with gold (sold for $ 5.6 million); “Heart” (purchased at an auction in 2007 for $ 23.6 million) and “Tulips” (also went under the hammer for $ 23.6 million).
One of the author’s most fantastic series is giant sculptures created from elongated balloons. Bright dogs, Balloon Flower 3, "Tulips" look easy. However, the weight of such a sculpture can reach several tons.
Despite the high cost of Koons, the richest contemporary artist is Damien Hirst from the UK. The central theme in the work of the creator is death. The most popular series that thundered around the world was Natural History. Hurst alcoholized several dead animals in formaldehyde: a zebra, a cow, a shark, a sheep, etc. For his craving for reproducing the inevitable, but unpleasant ending to life, the artist was nicknamed "singer of death."
One of the most expensive painters is Jasper Johns, who lives in Connecticut, USA. In his works, the creator uses mainly bright, rich colors and simple images: letters, targets, flags, numbers, cards. Regarding the style chosen by Jasper Johns, the researchers still do not have a consensus. Some attribute it to pop art, others - to neo-Dadaism.
East does not sleep
It is worth noting that in world art today, creators from Asian countries predominate. The leading position in this respect is China. Several artists from the Middle Kingdom are among the ten most-most.
The leader among his compatriots was Zeng Fanzhi. Today, the artist has moved away from his usual expression and focused on symbolism. Soft colors, general calm and relaxed paintings made Fanzhi one of the most sought-after Asian artists in the world.
The first exhibitions of paintings by Zeng Fanzhi outside of China took place in 1993. But the artist began to receive record amounts for his work relatively recently: in 2008, the Mask Series No. 6 canvas brought the creator $ 9.7 million.
The second most popular artist from China in the world is Zhou Chunya. The real world popularity of the master brought a series of works "Green Dog". Animals of different, poorly identifiable breeds are captured in a variety of emotional poses. According to the author’s plan, this “dog” is a symbol of loneliness and uncertain position of a person in modern society. The total profit of the sold works amounted to € 23.9 million.
Speaking of artists from the East, one cannot fail to mention the Japanese creator Takashi Murakami. The painter, designer and sculptor creates very expressive, positive works, combining the real opposites in them: West and East, past and present, chaste and vulgar. In the West, fame brought Murakami collaboration with Marc Jacobs - the Japanese worked on the design of goods Louis Vuitton.
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