Artist field note

Zhang Xiaogang

The family photograph becomes a portrait of modern China.

Bloodline: Mother and Son No. 1 by Zhang Xiaogang — Example from the series
Example from the series · sothebys.com · See source for rightsSource ↗

04 / 05

Bloodline: Mother and Son No. 1

1993

Parent and child are intimate yet restrained. Family feeling and generational memory occupy the same quiet space.

The five in one idea

Drawing on family photographs from the Cultural Revolution era, Zhang made the family portrait carry the psychological weight of a generation.