The first major monograph on Zhang Xiaogang (b.1958), the most important and influential Chinese contemporary artist of his generationThe art of Zhang Xiaogang is a fixture in many major museum collections works can be seen at MoMA, Tate Modern and the Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney and commands millions of dollars at auctionA retrospective of his haunting, surreal paintings and a biography of his dramatic life, this book is a key resource for academia and art enthusiasts alikeNever-before-published correspondence offers an inside view of everyday life in China providing an important historical and political context for his artAn illustrated chronology meanwhile features personal photographs from the artists archive