Jian-Jun Zhang was born in Shanghai, China. He graduated from the Shanghai Drama Institute in 1978. Recent museum exhibitions include Ink Art: Past as Present in Contemporary China, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Portrait of the Times: 30 Years of Chinese Contemporary Art, Power Station of Art, Shanghai and Shanshui, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Switzerland. His work appears in major collections including the Brooklyn Museum, New York; Guangdong Museum of Art, China; Shanghai Art Museum, China; Yuz Museum, Shanghai, China; Zhang is a professor at New York University, Shanghai and lives and works in both Shanghai and New York City.