OIL PAINTER LIU YE, 60, TOPS HURUN CHINA ART LIST FIRST TIME WITH US$45MN IN SALES OF HIS WORKS AT PUBLIC AUCTION GLOBALLY

CUI RUZHUO, 80, 2^ND WITH US$25MN IN SALES OF HIS WORKS

OIL PAINTER ZHOU CHUNYA, 69, UP FIVE PLACES TO 3^RD, WITH SALES UP 166% TO US$33MN

OIL PAINTER ZENG FANZHI, 60, DROPS TO 7^TH WITH US$17MN IN SALES

TURNOVER OF 100 ARTISTS ON HURUN CHINA ART LIST 2024 WAS US$478MN, UP 38% OVER LAST YEAR

82 ARTISTS SAW SALES UP COMPARED TO LAST YEAR, OF WHICH 29 WERE NEW TO THIS YEAR’S LIST. 14 OF THE NEW FACES ARE IN FACT RETURNEES TO THE HURUN LIST

8 FEMALE ARTISTS THIS YEAR, SAME AS LAST YEAR

NUMBER OF ARTISTS UNDER 50YRS INCREASED BY SIX TO 29, 5^TH CONSECUTIVE INCREASE

AVERAGE AGE OF ARTISTS ON HURUN LIST IS 62, ONE YEAR YOUNGER THAN LAST YEAR AND DOWN FOR FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW.

CHINA’S TOP ARTISTS PREFER TO LIVE IN BEIJING, WITH 63 LIVING THERE, 4 MORE THAN LAST YEAR

27 LIVING ARTISTS MADE THE HURUN BEST-SELLING CHINESE ARTISTS 2024, 12 LESS THAN LAST YEAR

CHINESE INK ARTIST ZHANG DAQIAN TOPPED THE LIST FOR THE 10^TH TIME WITH US$230MN, UP 78% FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR

THE HURUN CHINA ART LIST HAS FEATURED 313 ARTISTS IN 17 YEARS. 12 HAVE BEEN ON THE LIST FOR 17 CONSECUTIVE YEARS, THEY ARE: ZENG FANZHI, FAN ZENG, ZHOU CHUNYA, ZHANG XIAOGANG, HE JIAYING, LUO ZHONGLI, LIU YE, WANG MINGMING, FANG LIJUN, JIN SHANGYI, AI XUAN, WANG YIDONG. AND 24 HAVE BEEN ON THE LIST FOR 10 CONSECUTIVE YEARS

WORLD AUTHORITY ON WEALTH CREATION HURUN RESEARCH INSTITUTE LAUNCHES HURUN CHINA ART LIST 2024

Oil painter Liu Ye, 60, topped the Hurun China Art List with US$45mn in total turnover. Liu has been included in Hurun China Art List for 17 consecutive years and has made the Top 10 for five consecutive years.

Cui Ruzhuo, 80, maintained 2^nd place with US$25mn in total turnover, up 112%. Cui remains the highest-grossing artist on the public auction market in the 17-year history of Hurun China Art List.

The threshold for the Top 50 and Top 100 was up from last year. The threshold for the Top 50 was US$2.5mn, up 31% from last year; The threshold for the Top 100 was US$870,000, up 64% from last year. 7 artists sold more than CNY100mn, 4 more than last year.

For the fourth year in a row, oil painters outnumbered Chinese ink artists on the list. There are 60 oil painters this year, 4 less than last year; The number of Chinese ink artists was 37, 4 more than last year. Among them, Huang Jiannan, Ai Xuan, Liu Guosong and Cao Jun have attainments in Chinese ink painting and oil painting. Compared with ten years ago, the proportion of oil painters on the list has increased significantly, with 32 oil painters and 69 Chinese ink painters on the list in 2014.

Only 1 sculptor made the list, 3 less than last year. Only 11 sculptors have been listed on the Hurun China Art List in the past 17 years.

The number of artists under the age of 50 has risen for the 5^th consecutive year, up 6 this year to 29.

The influence of female artists is expanding. Before 2019, only 2013 had more than five female artists on the list. While from 2020 to 2024, there were more than 5 female artists on the list for 5 consecutive years. There are 8 female artists this year, same as last year.

2 are over 90, two fewer than last year.

Beijing has consistently been the city where the most artists on the list were born and reside. This year, the list of artists currently living in Beijing is still ahead of other cities with 63, 4 more than last year; Guangdong has 1 more than last year to 5, ranked 2^nd; Sichuan has 2 more than last year to 5, tied for 2^nd; Shanghai ranked 4^th, 2 less than last year. And Jiangsu tied for 4^th, 1 less than last year. 3 artists on the list live abroad, including 2 in the USA and 1 in France.

In terms of birthplace, 13 were born in Beijing, 3 less than last year; Shandong ranked 2^nd with 12. Hebei increased 2 artists rose to 3^rd with 6. Jiangsu tied for 3^rd with 6.

Artists Who Have Been on the List for 10 Consecutive Years: 24 artists have been on the list in the past ten years. They are: Cui Ruzhuo, Zhou Chunya, Zeng Fanzhi, Liu Ye, Fan Zeng, Huang Jiannan, Zhang Xiaogang, Liu Wei, He Jiaying, Liu Xiaodong, Shang Yang, Luo Zhongli, Jin Shangyi, Fang Lijun, Liu Guosong, Shi Guoliang, Wang Mingming, Ai Xuan, Ren Zhong, Wang Guangyi, Lin Yong, Jia Youfu, Wang Yidong and Tian Liming. These 24 artists accounted for 55% of the total turnover of artists on the list over the past decade.

Among Hurun Best-Selling Chinese Artists 2024, Chinese ink artist Zhang Daqian topped the list for the 10^th time with US$229mn, up 78% from the previous year. Chinese ink artist Qi Baishi up 1 pace to 2^nd with US$227.5mn, increase 182%. Wu Guanzhong up 1 pace to 3^rd with US$111mn, up81%. Fu Baoshi climbed to 4^th after his turnover increase 69% to US$95.5mn. Oil painter Zhao Wuji down to the 5^th with turnover fell 26% to US$75.5mn. In terms of art categories, 72 Chinese ink artists made the list, 4 more than last year; The number of oil painters on the list is 33, 4 less than last year.

(29 May 2024, Shanghai) The Hurun Research Institute today launched the Hurun China Art List 2024, a ranking of the Top 100 Chinese artists alive today based on the sales of their works at public auction in the year ending 31 December 2023. This is the seventeenth year of the Hurun China Art List. The report includes the Hurun Best-Selling Chinese Artists 2024, a list of the 100 best-selling artists from China. The lists were compiled from data collected by Chongqing Cultural Art Industry Association, Artprice, Artron and ArtPro.

In 2023, global art sales fell 4% year on year to US$65bn, but art transactions increased 4% year on year to 39.4 million pieces. Online transactions rose 7% to US$$11.8bn. China's art market rose 9% to US$12.2bn, making it the world's second-largest art market after the US, according to the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2024.

The total turnover of the 100 artists on the Hurun China Art List 2024 was US$478mn, an increase of 38% over last year. The threshold for the list has up to US$870,000. The turnover of 7 artists exceeded CNY 100mn, 4 more than last year. A total of 313 artists have made the Hurun China Art List these 17 years.

Rupert Hoogewerf, Chairman and Chief Researcher of Hurun Report, said:

“While the global art market saw a decline in sales last year, overall volumes increased, driven by a lower-priced art market.”

“The number of billion-dollar entrepreneurs worldwide has rebounded to near an all-time high, according to the latest Hurun Global Rich List, showing we can expect a rebound in the art market shortly.”

“The Chinese art market is still under pressure, and while the total turnover of the 100 artists on this year's list are up 38%, this is mainly due to an extra autumn sale last year. The year before, many China-based auction houses canceled their autumn sales due to the epidemic.”

“Liu Ye, 60, topped the Hurun China Art List for the first time with sales of his works at public auction of US$45mn. Liu has shown an overall upward trend, entering the Top 10 only once before 2019, and then making the Top 10 for the past five years. His works combine reality and fiction, making good use of the collision between elements of different eras and backgrounds, and are recognized by collectors.”

“This year there were 29 artists under the age of 50, the highest since records began. A new generation of collectors, such as the founders of unicorns, billion-dollar start-ups from the 2000s, are coming onto the scene. Their average age is only 45yrs. This, in turn, is spawning a new generation of artists. The most successful Under50 artist this year was Beijing oil painter Huang Yuxing with sales of his works at public auction of US$21mn, followed by Liaoning oil painter Jia Aili with US$12mn. Their subject-matter is different to the previous generation of artists, exploring deep themes and emotions. Jia Aili, for example, focuses on social issues and humanistic sentiments. Another Under50 artist Sun Yidian explores the internal mechanisms of consumer society, and Zhang Zipiao focuses on the relationship between life, the spirit and the body. In terms of painting materials, they are more open to integrate various art forms such as digital art and installation art, making their works more rich and diverse in visual and experiential aspects; In terms of painting style, they are not satisfied with traditional painting language and style, but create unique artistic effects by exploring new visual elements and composition methods.”

“These artists are almost becoming an industry. Cui Ruzhuo, for example, has created works of art that have sold at public auction for US$900mn in the past decade, whilst Zeng Fanzhi, Zhou Chunya and Fan Zeng’s works have all sold for over US$200mn.  By any company’s standards, that would be extremely successful, let alone for artists.”

“In 17 years, only 313 artists have made the list, 39 of whom have died. The Hurun China Art List is designed to encourage those who have the means to start collecting Chinese art.”

“Sales of China’s top artists continue to concentrate, with sales of the Top 10 artists now accounting for 47% of the list, up from 41% last year.”

“The list is intended to serve as a reference for potential collectors outside the industry who are thinking about collecting. Hurun uses transaction data from the public auction market. It is worth noting that art industry insiders would also look at gallery sales and private transactions by artists themselves.”

“The number of Chinese artists ranked second in last year's Hurun Global Art List, with 9, followed by the USA with 16 and the UK with 7. ”

“AI should have a big impact on artistic creativity in the future, as keywords are beginning to be able to generate a corresponding picture in no time at all.”

This is an English language summary of the full Chinese press release which can be found at www.hurun.net. Please note percentage changes of the sales totals is based on a comparison of the Chinese Yuan sales figures of this versus last year. For media inquiries please contact our public relations team whose contact details can be found at the end of this report.

The Top 10

2 new faces this year in the Top 10. Turnover of the Top 10 artists have increased significantly overall, with the average increase of the top 10 artists this year being 85%. The average age is 65 years old, 3 years older than the average age of the total list,  which is the same as last year. There are 8 oil painters in the Top 10, which is the same as last year. 8 live in Beijing and 1 in Shanghai and Sichuan each.

Oil painter Liu Ye, 60, topped the Hurun China Art List with US$44.5mn in total turnover. Liu has been included in Hurun China Art List for 17 consecutive years and ranked in Top 10 for 5 consecutive years.

Cui Ruzhuo, 80, remaind the 2^nd with US$25mn in total turnover, increase 112%. Cui remains the highest-grossing artist on the public auction market in the 17-year history of Hurun China Art List.

Oil painter Zhou Chunya, 69, up five places to 3^rd, with turnover up 166% to US$32.8mn. Zhou Chunya has been included in Hurun China Art List for 17 years in a row, never falling out of the Top 15, and has been included in the Top 10 for seven years in a row, topped the list in 2013.

Oil painter Huang Yuxing, 49, ranked 4^th with US$20.6mn, up 1 place from last year. Huang Yuxing has been included in the Hurun China Art List for the sixth time this year and for the third year in a row.

Huang Jiannan, 72, down 2 places to 5^th with US$20.6mn. Since he first entered Hurun China Art List in 2014, Huang Jiannan has been on the list for 11 consecutive years, 9 of them in the Top 10.

Fan Zeng, 86, saw his turnover increase 33% to US$18.7mn, down 2 places to 6^th. Fan Zeng has been included in the Hurun China Art List for 17 consecutive years, and has been in the Top 10 for 15 consecutive years since 2010, topped the list in 2011 and 2012.

Oil painter Zeng Fanzhi, 60, drop to 7^th with US$16.5mn in total turnover, fell 23%. Zeng has been included in Hurun China Art List for 17 consecutive years and is the only artist to never leave the Top 10.

Zhang Enli, 59, saw her turnover rise 42% to US$14.7mn, up 2 places to 8^th, the second time she has entered the Top 10 since 2014.

45-year-old oil painter Jia Aili up 12 places ranked 9^th with US$12.4mn in total turnover, increase 173%. jia Aili, the youngest artist in Top 10, has been included in Hurun China Art List for 5 consecutive years, and entered the Top 10 second times this year.

Zhang Xiaogang, 66, saw his turnover rise 20% to US$10.3mn ranked 10^th.  Zhang has been included in Hurun China Art List for 17 consecutive years and ranked in Top 10 for 11 times.

Top 10 most expensive works by living artists

Among the Top 10 most expensive works by living artists, 7 are oil paintings and 3 are Chinese inks. Among them, 3 Chinese inks were works of Cui Ruzhuo, Jiang Guohua and Hao Liang; The 7 oil paintings were by Liu Ye, Zhou Chunya and Zeng Fanzhi.

Youngest artists of the Hurun China Art List 2024 Top 10

Geographic Distribution

Fastest-Growing Artists from the Hurun China Art List 2024 

Artists Who Have Been on the List for 10 Consecutive Years

Hurun Best-Selling Chinese Artists 2024 Top 10

Top 10 new faces from the Hurun Best-Selling Chinese Artists 2024

Hurun China Art List annual list data changes

Hurun China Art List 2024, Most Successful Chinese Living Artists

Hurun Best-Selling Chinese Artists 2024

About Chongqing Cultural Art Industry Association

The Chongqing Cultural Art Industry Association, approved by the administrative departments of the Chongqing Culture and Tourism Development Commission and the Chongqing Civil Affairs Bureau in 2015, is officially registered as a nonprofit corporate social organization. The Association is dedicated to establishing a comprehensive industry service platform that aims to foster exchanges and cooperation within the industry, enhance the industry's overall competitiveness, and serve as a bridge between the government, society, enterprises, and individuals.

About ArtPro 

Founded in 2019, ArtPro is one of the most important global art market information and data service platforms. We connect about 2 million collectors and we major in three services: ArtPro Data, ArtPro Media and ArtPro Trading.

ArtPro Data includes price databases, artist reports, HD live screaming of global auctions, and more. The data radar covers 1,300 auction houses around the world. The transaction data is from 1983 to the present and the amount is exceeding 23 million. Around 400 thousand artists are included.

ArtPro Media provides global art market information, expert insights and art market analysis reports. The new media section focuses on short video content of artists, art exhibitions, and art knowledge sharing.

ArtPro Trading provides comprehensive and multi-level collection services: original artworks, editions, E-editions and derivatives. The E-editions launched in 2022 are well welcomed by young collectors. ArtPro, your best art investment expert.

About Hurun Inc.

Promoting Entrepreneurship Through Lists and Research

Oxford, Shanghai, Mumbai

Established in the UK in 1999, Hurun is a research, media and investments group, promoting entrepreneurship through its lists and research. Widely regarded as an opinion-leader in the world of business, Hurun generated 8 billion views on the Hurun brand last year, mainly in China and India.

Best-known today for the Hurun Rich List series, telling the stories of the world’s successful entrepreneurs in China, India and the world, Hurun’s other key series is the Hurun Start-up series, ranking the world’s unicorns and future unicorns, as well as giving recognition to young start-up founders.

Hurun has grown to become the world’s largest researcher and list compiler of startups, ranking 4000 startups across the world through its annual Unicorns list (US$1bn+), and two future unicorn lists (Gazelles from US$500mn, and Cheetahs from US$300mn).

For the young start-up founders, Hurun has created the Under30s, Under35s and Under40s awards, representing the cream of young entrepreneurs who have founded businesses with a social impact and worth around US$10mn, US$50mn and US$100mn respectively.

Other lists include the Hurun Global Highschools List, ranking the world’s best independent highschools, the Hurun Philanthropy List, ranking the biggest philanthropists, the Hurun Art List, ranking the world’s most successful artists alive today, etc…

Hurun provides research reports co-branded with some of the world’s leading financial institutions, real estate developers and regional governments.

Hurun hosts high-profile events across China and India, as well as London, Paris, New York, LA, Toronto, Sydney, Luxembourg, Istanbul, Dubai and Singapore.

For further information, see www.hurun.net.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Hurun Report

Porsha Pan

Tel: +86-21-50105808*601

Mobile: +86-139 1838 7446

Email: porsha.pan@hurun.net

Grace Liu

Tel: +86-21-50105808

Mobile: +86 136 7195 4611

Email: grace.liu@hurun.net