Liu Xiaodong (born 1963, Jinzhou, China) is a Beijing-based painter who focuses on large-scale depictions of modern life. Liu concentrates on figures, placing them in settings that evoke global issues such as population displacement, environmental crisis and economic upheaval. His thoughtfully orchestrated compositions present a careful balance of artifice and reality, and may be characterized as history paintings for our developing, fast-changing world.
An internationally acclaimed artist, Liu’s work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions at venues including the Dallas Contemporary (2021); UCCA Edge, Shanghai (2021); Louisiana Museum, Denmark (2019); NRW-Forum & Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany (2018); Chronus Art Centre, Shanghai, China (2016); Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, Italy (2016); and many others.
Liu studied at the prestigious Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing and since 1994 has also served as a Professor of Oil Painting at his alma matter.