He is considered as one of the youngest contemporary artists in U.S. and Europe. His works have also been collected by almost all the major museums in the world. He is also associated with some of the most prestigious galleries in Europe and U.S, with his works collected by some of the most important collectors too. If you ask the art world to name the top 5 or 10 young artists in west, he is on the top of the list. But he is not just a painter or artist; he has just won the best director in the 60th International Cannes Film Festival for his French movie "Diving Bell And Butterfly." He is Julian Schnabel.

An exhibition covering Julian's best works since 1983 just opened in China Millennium Monument on Sep 12 in Beijing, the first stop for Schnabel's Asian tour before hitting Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul.

The exhibition brings the works that represent what Schnabel wants to show the world, particularly to China, says Howard Rutowski from Fortune Cookie Projects, who brought Julian's works to Beijing.

"Internationally, Schnabel is very important for all the innovative things he has done, and he is influential to the whole generation of artists in west, that's why we think it's important to bring him here. China has very vibrant, energetic contemporary art; the dialogue between the east and west is very important. The younger or more established artists can have an exchange with western artists individually."

Fifty-five-year old Schnabel has always be in the main stream of international art since he successful had his first solo show at Mary Boone Gallery in New York. Having worked as a taxi driver and a waiter while he was young, his colorful working experience can serve as an example for other artists. And Schnabel never sits still to repeat his success.

"Julian makes work when you look at them; they are all different from each other. He uses many materials that others don't use, more than that, he was one of the first artists to use the materials in the exhibition." Mary Dinaburg, curator of Fortune Cookie Projects describes.

And there is definitely no limitation on Schnabel's works.

"He is always searching, always having different ways to express what he feels at the moment. Some of the paintings refer to his friends, like the one called Paolo Malfi  (see the picture on the second page) ,a friend of his from Italy, who died in 1995. He had a strong emotion for his friend who passed away, so he created this very powerful and beautiful painting", said Howard.

Born in 1951 in Texas, prior to establishing his film career, Julian Schnabel made a name for himself as a "neo-expressionist" artist/painter, and he has been known as the "self-proclaimed lion of the New York art world". The exhibition will go till October 14.