The Wild, Wild East: An American Art Critic's Adventures in China: By Barbara Pollack

A lively and opinionated romp through China's contemporary art scene, Wild, Wild East is based on firsthand encounters with the artists, dealers, collectors, curators and auction specialists who have made Chinese contemporary art the fastest growing sector of the international art market. This is the first book to take stock of China's commercial art boom, the rapid development of its institutions and the biographies of its major players. It conveys the thrill of the current gold-rush atmosphere, but also investigates the pitfalls of the scene: corruption, government censorship and conflicts of interest. The author, Barbara Pollack, is an experienced journalist and art critic who has been reporting on China's developing art scene since 1997. With unparalleled access to the major figures both in the country and elsewhere, she is unafraid to ask, "Is this the emperor's new clothes?" of this country once ruled by emperors, and now managed by post-Mao millionaires.