Liu Xiaodong was born in 1963, Liaoning Province, China. He graduated from China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing and received MFA in 1995 at the same university. From 1998, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain for a year. Currently he teaches at the Central Academy of Fine Arts Beijing, China. Liu lives and works in Beijing. Liu stands in the forefront of contemporary Chinese painters. He communicates and relates to the viewers easily in his paintings with the scenes that are recognizable as ordinary life happenings. Rather than the metaphysical ideas that come from neo-realism, Liu is strongly attracted to the ordinary people; therefore, he hires models to pose at the chosen location for his paintings and tries to make them more ‘real.’ His oil painting technique, imagination, and interpretation not only tie the characters and the scenes together but add certain emotional values which make it possible for the viewer to relate to the happenings on a personal level. Certain intimacy, familiarity, and tender sentiments come to life in his paintings, perhaps just like how the models might have imagined themselves in an artistic manner while posing. 1963 Born in China 1988 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Oil Painting, Central Institute of Fine Arts, Beijing, China 1995 Master of Fine Arts in Oil Painting, Central Institute of Fine Arts, Beijing, China 1998-1999 Study in Academy of Fine Arts, University of Complutense, Madrid, Spain Solo Exhibitions 2008 “Qinghai-Tibet Plateau&Beijing Girls- New Paintings by Liu Xiaodong” Mary Boone Gallery, New York 2007 “Liu Xiaodong Solo Exhibition 2007” Eslite Gallery, Taiwan “The Richness of Life: The Personal Photographs of Contemporary Chinese", “Artist Liu Xiaodong 1984-2006 ” Time Zone 8. Beijing. China 2006 Liu Xiaodong: Painting from Life” Art Museum of Guangdong, China “The Three Gorges Project- Painting by Liu Xiaodong” Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, U.S.A. “Hot Bed- a painting project by Liu Xiaodong” Tang gallery, Bangkok Tailand “Liu Xiaodong’s new works: Domino” Xin Beijing Gallery, Beijing 2005 “Childhood friend getting fat” LOFT Gallery, Paris 2004 Three Gorges: Displaced Population&Three Gorges: Newly Displaced Population” China Blue Gallery&CAAW Beijing China “Eighteen Soldiers Between Mainland and Taiwan” Bunker Museum of Contemporary Art. Jinmen China Taiwan 2003 "Liu Xiao Dong" Eslite Gallery, Taiwan 2002 "Liu Xiao Dong" Art Center of Donghai University, Taiwan 2001 "Liu Xiao Dong" LOFT Gallery, Paris, France 2000 "Liu Xiaodong 1990-2000" Museum of Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China "Liu Xiao Dong and His Time" LIMN Gallery, San Francisco, CA USA 1990 "Liu Xiao Dong" Gallery of Central Institute of Fine Arts, Beijing, China Group Exhibitions 2008 “China 21Century” Palazzo delle Esposizioni Roma Italy 2007 "The Painting of Modern Life" Hayward Gallery, Southbank Centre, London. UK “Made in China” Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen, Denmark “Made in China” Israel Museum, Jerusalum, Israel “Energy and Character” China Art Museum, Beijing, China “Energy and Character” China Art Museum, Beijing, China “ART LAN @ ASIA” ZAIM, Yokohama, Japan “Korea-China Contemporary Art Exhibition- Giants in Illusion” Korea 2006 “The Blossoming of Realis- The Oil Painting of Mainland China since 1978” Taipei Fine Arts Museum “Zones of Contact- 2006 Biennale of Sydney” Sydney, Australia 2005 “History of River- The Chinese Oil Painting Exhibition in New Era” Art Museum of China, Beijing China "2th Beijing Biennial Art Exhibition" Art Museum of China, Beijing, China “Wang Guangle, Yin Chaoyang, Men Xinxi, Xia Xiaowan, Liu Xiaodong Art Show” Art 110 Gallery, Beijing, China “The Wall-Reshaping Contemporary Chinese Art” Millennium Art Museum, Beijing “Mahjong-Contemporary Chinese Art from the Sigg Collection” Bern Museum, Switzerland “The 2th Chinese Art Triennial” Nanjing, China 2004 "Regeneration: Contemporary Chinese Art from China and the US" Samek Art Gallery, Bucknell University, PA, USA “Dreaming of the Dragon’s Nation- Contemporary Art Exhibition from China” Irish Museum of Modern Art, Irish “Feel Memory” Yibo Gallery, Shanghai, China 2003 "Premieres Lueurs Sur L' Orient- L' aventure de la peinture chinoise au 20 Siecle" Palais de la Porte Doree, Paris, France "Alors, La Chine?" Centre Pompidou, Paris, France "1th Beijing Biennial Art Exhibition" Art Museum of China, Beijing, China "3th Exhibition of Chinese Oil Painting" Art Museum of China, Beijing, China "An Opening Era" Art Museum of China, Beijing, China "The Nude- Ideal and Reality- From Neoclassicism to Today" Bologna Modern Art Museum, Italy 2002 "A Decade of Experimental Chinese Art-Guanzhou Triennial" Art Museum of Guangdong, Guangzhou, China "China Contemporary Art" Art Museum of Brazil, San Paulo, Brazil "Beijing-Paris" Paris, France "East+West Chinese Contemporary Art" Austria "Contemporary Chinese Art" Goedhuis Gallery, New York, NY, USA 2001 "China Art Now" Singapore Art Musuem, Singapore "Academic and Un-Academic" YiBo Gallery, Shanghai, China "Towards a New Image- 1981-2001 Twenty Years of Contemporary Chinese Painting" Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, China 2000 "Shanghai Spirit, Shangai Biennial Art Exhibition" Shanghai, China "The New Face of China" Ray Hughes Gallery, Sydney, Australia "China Art in the 20th Century" Art Museum of China, Beijing, China 1999 "Gate of Century: 1979-1999" Modern Art Museum of Chengdu, Chengdu, China "1999 China Art" LIMN Gallery, San Francisco, CA, USA "Dong Yu Museum's Collection" Dong Yu Museum, Shen Yang, China "Upriver Museum's Collection" He Xiang-Ning Museum, Shen Zhen, China 1998 "East Meet East in the West" LIMN Gallery, San Francisco, CA, USA "Upriver Museum's Collection" Upriver Museum, Chengdu, China "Representing The People " Chinese Arts Centre，London 1996 "Exhibition of the Association of Chinese Oil Painters" Art Museum of China, Beijing, China 1995 "Contemporary Chinese Oil Painting from Realism to Post Modernism" Brussels, Belgium 1994 "Between East and West: Transformation of Chinese Art in the Late 20th Century" The Discover Museum, CT, USA "Sketch Exhibition of Chinese Artists" New York, Beijing, Hongkong and Taiwan "Transformation" Mark Tansey studio, New York, NY, USA "Liu Xiaodong&Yu Hong's works" OIPCA East Village, New York, NY, USA 1993 "New Art from China: Post 1989" Marlborough Gallery, London, England 1992 "Post 1989 China Avant-garde Art Exhibition" Hongkong and Australia "Art Today in China" California Art Institute, Valencia, CA, USA 1991 "20th Century China" Art Museum of China, Beijing, china 1989 "Chinese Avant-garde Art Exhibition" Art Museum of China, Beijing, China Public Collections 2006 Asian Art Museum, SF USA 2001 Singapore Art Museum, Singapore 1999 Shanghai Art Museum, China Queensland Art Gallery, Australia Art Museum of Central Institute of Fine Arts, China 1998 Modern Chinese Art Foundation, Belgium 1997 San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, USA 1995 China Art Gallery, China 1994 Guy and Myriam Ullens Foundation, Switzerland 1993 Fukuoka Gallery, Japan