Andy Warhol, Siberian Tiger, from Endangered Species (F. & S. 297), 1983. Editions & Works on Paper New York.
2022 marks the start of the Year of the Tiger, and while we can’t predict what the year will bring — we’ll leave that to the fortune tellers — Chinese astrology holds that people born in this year will carry personality traits associated with nature’s fiercest feline.
The Chinese zodiac runs on a 12-year cycle, with each year represented by a different animal. Those born in the Year of the Tiger are said to be brimming with confidence and independent by nature. They are bold, adventurous and crave experimentation. Indeed, all of these artists born in the Year of the Tiger are leading figures of their generation, challenging norms, experimenting with mediums and embodying the traits of the mighty beast.
KAWS, What Party (Set of Seven), 2020. Sold for $94,500 in Editions & Works on Paper, New York, March 2022.
KAWS (b. 1974)
Even as his work has moved from the streets to the saleroom, Brian Donnelly — otherwise known as KAWS — remains an iconoclastic figure, celebrated for his tongue-in-cheek commentaries on pop culture and mass consumerism. His early days in the 1990s graffiti scene — where he would tag New York City bus stop ads with crossed bones and crossed eyes — gave rise to his signature style. Even as he branched out into sculpture, painting and collage, KAWS has retained his unique configuration of pop culture references and distinct imagery, making him one of the boldest artists working today.
Richard Serra, Level I, 2008. Editions & Works on Paper New York.
Richard Serra (b. 1938)
Richard Serra is an American artist commonly associated with Minimalism and the Process Art movement. Though perhaps best known for his monumental works made from industrial steel, Serra has also worked extensively in painting and printmaking. After attending the University of California, Berkeley, he earned his MFA from Yale and later working in New York, Serra was inspired by Minimalist contemporaries such as Carl Andre and Sol LeWitt, who valued the work of creation more than the finished artwork itself.
Zaha Hadid, 'Crater' coffee table, 2007. Sold for £81,900 in Design London November 2021.
Zaha Hadid (b. 1950)
From Beijing’s Daxing Airport to London’s Olympic Aquatic Centre, the undulating waves of renowned architect Zaha Hadid are unmistakable. Dubbed the “queen of the curve” by The Guardian, Hadid is known for her designs that bend and flex materials, expanding the imagination and realm of possibilities for materials as tough as glass and concrete. She applied the same principle to her coveted interior design pieces, carving benches, tables and shelves from single blocks of marble, wood, aluminum and other materials.
Jenny Holzer, it's hard to know..., from The Survival Series, 1983-1985. Editions & Works on Paper New York.
Jenny Holzer (b. 1950)
Consistently provocative and always evocative, Jenny Holzer’s text-based projects touch on subjects of violence, oppression, sexuality, feminism, power, war and death. Her first large-scale electronic sign was placed in the middle of New York’s Times Square in 1982 and read “Protect Me From What I Want.” Over the years, Holzer has experimented with printing text on various mediums, from T-shirts to light projections, to provoke strong responses and discussion. Her goal, as she once put it, is “to offer content that people — not necessarily art people — could understand.”
Antony Gormley, Lift 5 (Meme) III, 2018
Sold for £126,000, 20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, London, October 2021
Antony Gormley (b. 1950)
The work of sculptor Antony Gormley takes viewers to immensely intimate places — the artist often uses casts of his own naked body to create human forms. Best-known for his large-scale public installations, including Angel of the North (1994) and Another Place (2005), Gormley invites us to explore our relationship with our lived environments. The striking impact of his sculptural works has cultivated global appeal. His participatory art project Asian Field (2003), consisting of 200,000 clay figurines hand-sculpted by 300 Chinese villagers, is on prominent display in Hong Kong’s newly opened M+ museum.
Vija Celmins, Untitled (Ocean), 1987-88
Sold for $7,748,000, 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, New York, June 2021
Vija Celmins (b. 1938)
For over 50 years, Vija Celmins has relentlessly pursued the challenge of transcribing nature’s vast, mysterious expanses in photorealistic form. Her oeuvre is a study in details — her perceptually rich work is the product of scrupulous painterly skill. Waves, desert floors and night skies have a distinctive place in Celmins’ work. In 1968, she began taking photographs of the Pacific Ocean from Venice Beach pier in Los Angeles. These photographs would begin her decades-long obsession with recreating — by hand — the three-dimensional world, as seen through the lens of a camera, onto a two-dimensional surface.
Brice Marden, Cold Mountain Series, Zen Studies 1-6: plate 5 (L. 43/5), 1991. Editions & Works on Paper New York.
Brice Marden (b. 1938)
One of the leading artists of his generation, Brice Marden developed a unique style that departs from his abstract expressionist and minimalist contemporaries. Drawn from his personal experiences and global travels, his works demonstrate a gestural and organic emotion channeled through the power of color. From the 1970s onward, Marden increasingly developed a nuanced approach to color. Deeply informed by his knowledge of classical architecture, world religion, ancient history and spirituality, he imbued his work with a poetic sensibility and personal resonance.
Ju Ming, Taichi Series - Single Whip, 1997
Sold for HK$756,000, 20th Century & Contemporary Art & Design Day Sale, Hong Kong, November 2021
Ju Ming (b. 1938)
Trained as a woodcarver, Ju Ming took up tai chi to develop physical and mental discipline. This practice would lead to the creation of perhaps his most famous sculptural work, the Taichi Series. The contrast between the hard texture of the material, usually stone, and the soft elegance of the figure’s tai chi posture evokes the balance of yin and yang. The incredible precision with which these pieces were created solidifies Ju’s reputation as an accomplished craftsman and blacksmith.
Recommended Reading
The Chinese Zodiac Signs in Art >
The Art Lover’s Guide to Shanghai >