Liu Xiaodong

Liu Xiaodong is a leading Chinese Neo‑Realist painter celebrated for his expansive, human-centered works that document everyday life amid global upheaval. Trained at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, he studied in Madrid before settling in Beijing, where he now teaches . Known for working en plein air, Liu embeds himself in communities—from displaced Three Gorges villagers to migrant workers, LGBTQ groups, and U.S.–Mexico border residents—and transforms their stories into large-scale oil and acrylic paintings . With loose brushwork and vivid color, his work blur the lines between documentary and memory, offering empathetic, socially engaged portraits of contemporary life