Xiang Zhang (pronounced Shong Zang) grew up in China and was born in the year of the horse. After graduating from the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing, where he was strongly influenced by the 19th-century Russian masters, Zhang taught art classes at the Beijing Broadcasting University. In 1986 he moved to New Orleans after receiving a full scholarship from Tulane University and ultimately receiving his master’s degree in fine arts. When he moved to Texas after his graduate work, Zhang developed his special style of Western art by combining his love for painting horses with his extensive work with portraiture.

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Using both impressionistic and realistic techniques, Zhang has won awards in regional and national shows and is noted for his powerful Western action scenes and his realistic depictions of historical events captured in large compositions such as “The Oklahoma Land Rush,” “Arriving Fort Worth,” “Austin Drive,” “The Sooners” and more. Because of his theater background, Zhang always dedicates time before each composition to research and study the costumes, architecture, and props from the period of his painting.

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Zhang and his wife Lily live in Dallas, where he has been able to dedicate time to observing working ranches in Texas and other states. His work reflects the symbiotic relationship between the cowboy and his horse, and his definitive style uses scintillating colors and bravura brushwork to capture the drama of ranching life. 

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Zhang’s paintings hang in private and corporate collections in the United States, Canada, Europe, and China. His work has been exhibited in prestigious national shows such as the Prix de West Art Invitational Exhibition and Sale at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, the Night of Artists at the Briscoe Western Art Museum, and the Masters of the American West Fine Art Exhibition and Sale at the Autry National Center. 

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Zhang has had numerous successful one-man shows and his work has been featured in Western Traditions: Contemporary Artists of the American West, Art of the West, Southwest Art, Western Art Collector, Fine Art Connoisseur, and numerous other publications.

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View his website at xiangzhangart.com