Last updated: 28 October 2026
Xu Yang (listed in the War Child sale as Yang Xu) is the Chinese-born, London-based artist who paints jewel-like still lifes and portraits using old master glazing techniques. Here you will find our take on her work, where to see Xu Yang now, how to buy her paintings, and her small oil in this year’s War Child auction.
Our take on Xu Yang
Xu Yang paints in the slow, layered way of the 17th and 18th centuries, which she learned as a teenager in Qingdao. She starts with a monochrome drawing in oil, then builds colour in thin glazes. “The deliberate labor-intensive painting process gives me the chance to have conversations with the old master artists,” she writes in her artist statement. Her subjects mix Chinese myth, rococo fashion, drag and Dutch vanitas painting, seen through a queer lens.
Her War Child piece, Strange Paradise, is oil on panel. A bunch of red and amber grapes spills across a pale green marble ledge at the bottom of the picture. Behind it, a black arched niche fills most of the panel. Two soap bubbles float in the dark, one high on the left and one among the grapes. Bubbles are a classic vanitas symbol of how short life is, so the small painting carries a quiet memento mori.
Her career is moving fast. In 2025 she showed in the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery, which then toured to Newcastle. Right now, she has a two-person show with her partner, Victoria Cantons, at Kravets Wehby Gallery in New York. “I came to London when I was 18, discovered drag performance and queer culture,” she told FAD Magazine, and that mix of old technique and queer culture runs through this panel.
Xu Yang: the essentials
- Grew up in Zibo, Shandong, China, and trained in European 17th and 18th century painting techniques in Qingdao before moving to London at 18, according to her own site.
- BA (first-class honours) in Fine Art: Painting from Wimbledon College of Arts (2018) and an MA in Painting from the Royal College of Art (2020).
- Selected for the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2025 exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, London.
- Won a prize at ArtWorks Open 2019 (Barbican Arts Group Trust) and was shortlisted for the ING Discerning Eye in 2021.
- Made a Tate Collective social commission on LGBTQ history in 2023.
- Solo shows at Berntson Bhattacharjee Gallery, London (2024), Mou Projects, Hong Kong (2023), and Dio Horia, Athens (2022); her work is in the Deighton Collection.
Where to see Xu Yang now
- Coming up: Sound & Vision 2026, a War Child charity auction online from 27 October to 12 November 2026, with the works on view at Iconic Images Gallery, London, 6 to 8 November. The piece is Strange Paradise (2026), oil on panel, 21 x 15 cm (8.3 x 5.9 in), lot page.
- Now: The Pursuit of Happiness (two-person, with Victoria Cantons), Kravets Wehby Gallery, New York, 15 October to 14 November 2026.
- Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2025 (touring group show), Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle, spring 2026 to 5 September 2026.
- Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award 2025 (group), National Portrait Gallery, London, 10 July to 12 October 2025 (Country & Town House).
How to buy a Xu Yang painting
There are no Xu Yang prints, editions or books on sale. Her paintings sell through galleries:
- Paintings: through Kravets Wehby Gallery in New York, or via the contact page on her website, price on request.
- Strange Paradise, 2026: a small oil on panel in the War Child Sound & Vision auction, bidding from £100 until 12 November 2026 (bid here).
Xu Yang FAQs
Is Xu Yang the same artist as Yang Xu?
Yes. The War Child sale lists her as Yang Xu, but she signs and exhibits as Xu Yang, with her family name first.
Where did Xu Yang study?
Wimbledon College of Arts (BA, 2018) and the Royal College of Art (MA in Painting, 2020), after training in old master techniques in Qingdao.
Can I buy a Xu Yang print?
Not at the moment. There are no prints or editions, so her paintings sell through galleries on request.
Where can I see her work in London?
Her War Child piece, Strange Paradise, is on view at Iconic Images Gallery from 6 to 8 November 2026.
More from CoolCuration
- Frieze Masters 2026 review: old master painting at London’s historic art fair.
- Great Art Explained: a readable guide to how great paintings work.
- Hospital Rooms poster sale: charity prints by big-name artists at £100.
- Best affordable art in the UK: prints and originals under £500.
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Main image: Xu Yang in the studio, 2021. Photo: Charlie Tronchot, courtesy Studio West, via FAD Magazine. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices, auction results and market figures last checked: 28 October 2026.
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