# Johnson Chang

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{{short description|Chinese art curator (born 1960)}}
'''Johnson Chang''' (Cantonese: Chang Tsong-zung;<ref name="AZC" /> {{zh|t=張頌仁}}) (born 1960) is a curator and dealer of contemporary Chinese art. He is a co-founder of the [Asia Art Archive](/source/Asia_Art_Archive) (AAA) in Hong Kong and a guest professor of the [China Academy of Art](/source/China_Academy_of_Art) in Hangzhou.<ref name="Wharton">{{cite web |url=http://www.whartonbeijing09.com/bio-tchang.html |title=Johnson Chang |last= |first= |date= |website= |publisher=Wharton University of Pennsylvania |access-date=July 4, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> ''[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)'' described him as "a force in contemporary Chinese art since the 1980s",<ref name="NYT" /> and [Sotheby's](/source/Sotheby's) described him as "the godfather of contemporary Chinese art".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.thevalue.com/articles/sothebys-johnson-chang-chinese-contemporary-art-collection-auction-hong-kong |title=Sotheby's Presents Masterpieces from the Collection of Johnson Chang, the Godfather of Chinese Contemporary Art |last= |first= |date=August 20, 2020 |website=[Sotheby's](/source/Sotheby's) |publisher= |access-date=July 4, 2023 |quote=}}</ref>

== Career ==
Chang Tsong-zung was born in 1960 in Hong Kong; his father was an engineer and his grandfather was a banker.<ref name="AZC" /> He graduated from [Williams College](/source/Williams_College) in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://alumni-awards.williams.edu/bicentennial-medal/tsong-zung-j-chang-2/|title=Tsong-Zung J. Chang, Class of 1973|website=Williams College|access-date=July 4, 2023}}</ref>
He has been curating art exhibitions since the 1980s. 
He founded Hanart TZ gallery in Hong Kong in 1983.<ref name="Hanart">{{cite web |url=http://www.hanart.com/ |title=Home |website=hanart.com}}</ref> Artists that Chang has discovered include [Feng Mengbo](/source/Feng_Mengbo), [Gu Wenda](/source/Gu_Wenda), [Liu Wei](/source/Liu_Wei_(artist)), [Fang Lijun](/source/Fang_Lijun), [Wang Guangyi](/source/Wang_Guangyi), [Yue Minjun](/source/Yue_Minjun), [Zhan Wang](/source/Zhan_Wang), and [Zhang Xiaogang](/source/Zhang_Xiaogang).<ref name="AZC" />

It was through his gallery that he organized exhibitions of the Taiwanese sculptor [Ju Ming](/source/Ju_Ming) at the [Singapore Art Museum](/source/Singapore_Art_Museum) in 1986 and [Place Vendôme](/source/Place_Vend%C3%B4me) in Paris in 1997. It was also with Hanart that he staged "China’s New Art Post-1989," which debuted at the 1993 Hong Kong Arts Festival and then toured the United States from 1995 to 1997.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

In Shanghai in late 2010, Chang organized "West Heavens," a contemporary art collaboration between China and India.<ref name="NYT">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/11/arts/11iht-scshanghai11.html?scp=1&sq=joyce%20lau%20johnson%20chang&st=cse#|title=Shanghai Art Scene |website=[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)|first=Joyce Hor-Chung |last=Lau|date=Dec 11, 2010}}</ref>

In their annual "The Power 100" listing, ''Art Review'' named Chang, alongside [Claire Hsu](/source/Claire_Hsu), for their co-founding of the AAA.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.artreview100.com/people/736/ |title=86. Johnson Chang Tsong-zung & Claire Hsu - the ArtReview Power 100 |access-date=2010-12-20 |archive-date=2010-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122213046/http://www.artreview100.com/people/736/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Personal ==
Chang is known for wearing old-fashioned Chinese-styled outfits with Mandarin collars.{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}

He was a friend of the late Sir [David Tang](/source/David_Tang), founder of Shanghai Tang.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com.hk/around-town/features/14212/johnson-chang-tsong-zung.html|title=Johnson Chang Profile|publisher=Time Out Hong Kong|first=Claire|last=Morin|date=Dec 11, 2010|access-date=December 20, 2010|archive-date=June 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619063502/http://www.timeout.com.hk/around-town/features/14212/johnson-chang-tsong-zung.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Chang helped Tang put together the [China Club](/source/China_Club)'s art collection.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show/id/David-Tang-Chinese-Puzzle_7507 |title=David Tang: Chinese Puzzle &#124; News & Features &#124; Cigar Aficionado |accessdate=2010-12-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111207100431/http://www.cigaraficionado.com/webfeatures/show/id/David-Tang-Chinese-Puzzle_7507 |archivedate=2011-12-07 }}</ref> Chang is an active part of Hong Kong's social scene and has been listed in [Asia Tatler](/source/Asia_Tatler)'s "Top List."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.asiatatler.com/hk/top_list.php?cat=c |title=500 List &#124; Asia Tatler |access-date=2010-12-20 |archive-date=2010-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101021070437/http://www.asiatatler.com/hk/top_list.php?cat=c |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He has two sons.<ref name="AZC">{{cite web|url=http://www.artzinechina.com/display_vol_aid172_en.html |title=In Search of Johnson Chang &#124; ArtZineChina.com &#124; 中国艺志 |accessdate=2010-12-20 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003121705/http://www.artzinechina.com/display_vol_aid172_en.html |archivedate=2011-10-03 }}</ref>

== Shows and projects==
* "China’s New Art Post-1989" (1993)
* Special Exhibitions at the São Paulo International Biennial (1994 and 1996)
* Hong Kong participation at São Paulo Biennial (1996)
* The Venice Biennial (2001)
* "Power of the Word" series of exhibitions
* "Strange Heaven: Chinese Contemporary Photography"
* "Open Asia International Sculpture Exhibition" in Venice (2005)
* "Yellow Box" series, Guangzhou Triennial (2008)<ref name="Wharton" />

== References ==
<references/>

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Chang, Johnson}}
Category:1951 births
Category:Living people
Category:Chinese art historians
Category:Chinese curators
Category:20th-century Hong Kong historians
Category:21st-century Hong Kong historians

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{{art-historian-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Johnson Chang](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_Chang) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnson_Chang?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.