Van Gogh On Demand China And The Readymade

"In southern China lies Dafen, an urban village that houses thousands of workers who paint van Goghs, Da Vincis, Warhols, and other Western masterpieces for the global market, producing an astonishing five million paintings a year. Winnie Won Yin Wong infiltrated this world by first investigating the work of contemporary artists who made their projects there, then working as a dealer, apprenticing as a painter, surveying wholesalers and retailers in Europe, East Asia, and North America, and finally establishing relationships with local officials and initiating an art exhibition for the Shanghai World Expo. The result is Van Gogh on Demand, a book about one infamous corner of the global art world that is nevertheless deeply connected to its highest ideals. Wong takes up questions of imitation, innovation and appropriation; unravels the definition of art, the making of the artist, and the ownership of the image; and describes an art world in which migrant workers, propagandists, dealers, and contemporary artists make up a global supply chain of creativity."--Publisher description.