Alexander Chen

Alexander Chen is a Chinese-American internationally acclaimed artist and official artist for the US Olympic Team.[1] He paints in a hyper-realist style.[1] His art has appeared in Toshiba Electric, Northwest Airlines and Shin Nippon Co (Japan). Many others are used in calendars, jigsaw puzzles, book illustrations and other retail products.[2] Chen's works have been collected or licensed by many other individuals companies and charities including UNICEF and various art trade magazines.[1]

He is the founder of Tom Binder Fine Arts I Alexander’s World, created 1986, now a major art dealer in Southern California.[3]

His reputation for creating captivating city scenes, enchanting landscapes and famous landmarks is greatly admired. Chen has received worldwide recognition for his art, and his popularity in the United States, Japan, and Europe continues to grow.[4]

Early life

Born in Guangzhou China in 1952, Chen first discovered his love of art while developing a series of drawings at the age of four. At 16, he moved to the countryside and became a farmer.[1][5]

Career

China

In the 1980s, Chen studied and taught at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in China. He married Su. His art gained national repute, with his paintings collected by many provincial and national museums by the National Art Exhibitions of China.[1]

Chen was awarded membership in the National Artist Association of China.

United States

In the 1989[5] he and his family moved to San Francisco, Northern California.[1] He has since created a series called "Alexander's World" of montages of cities and scenery across the US including Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, the skylines of Miami, etc.[1][2]

USA Olympics

Alexander Chen is an official artist for the US Olympic Team. He created originals for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics and the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Alexander has the distinguished honor of being the only Olympic Artist sanctioned by both the US Olympic Committee and the Beijing Olympic Committee.[1][6]

Works

Inspiration and style

At age 16 he read Around the World in Eighty Days, which inspired him to travel the world.[1] A lot of his art draws from his experiences in both the rural and urban, contrasting the pastoral and the city life.[2][6]

In preparation for work he usually takes hundreds of photos:[1]

Inspired by the artists of the Song Dynasty and the way they could capture 1,000 people in each painting, Chen can take up to three months to unearth so much detail in each of his works.

Quotes

“It is the same ocean and sky that connects me with my homeland of China with my adopted land of America. I love both places and that is clearly reflected in my artwork.”[1]

“I have a responsibility for myself. I want to record human kind’s history and civilization.”[4]

Personal

At 26, Alex married classmate and artist Su at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. They have one son named Brandon.[1]

He speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese.

Citations
  1. "Alexander Chen". Park West Gallery. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  2. "Alexander Chen The Master of Hyper Realism 1-800-332-4278". alexanderchen.com. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  3. alexanderchen.com http://alexanderchen.com/gallery_about.htm. Retrieved 2019-05-13. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "Biography". Alexander Chen. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  5. "Artist". Alexander Chen. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  6. fineartlimited.com https://fineartlimited.com/71_chen-alexander. Retrieved 2019-05-13. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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