China's Van Goghs

Production year: 2016
Country: China
Directors: Hiaibo Yu & Kiki Tianqi Yu
Producer: Kiki Tianqi Yu

Until 1989, the village of Dafen in the city of Shenzhen, China was little more than a hamlet. It now has a population of 10,000, including hundreds of peasants turned oil painters. In its many studios, and even in its alleyways, Dafen’s painters turn out thousands of replicas of world-famous western paintings. Nobody thinks anything of an order for 200 Van Goghs. To meet their deadlines, painters sleep on the floor between clotheslines strung with masterpieces. In 2015, the turnover in painting sales was over $65 million.