Rutherford Chang
Rutherford Chang | |
|---|---|
 Eilon Paz 2013 photograph of Rutherford Chang among his record collection of the Beatles first pressings of The White Album | |
| Born | December 27, 1979 |
| Died | January 24, 2025 (aged 45) |
| Education | Wesleyan University |
| Occupation | Artist |
| Parent | Jason Chang |
| Website | rutherfordchang |
Rutherford Chang (December 27, 1979 – January 24, 2025) was a Taiwanese-American conceptual artist.
His post-conceptual projects included a collection of 3,417 copies of the Beatles White Album,[1] a block of 10,000 melted pennies and attempts to beat the high score for Tetris.[2][3] In 2013, Chang released a double vinyl noise music record in a limited edition of 800 called White Album x 100 made by layering 100 copies of the Beatles' 1968 double LP The Beatles, better known as the White Album, playing simultaneously.[1][4]
Early life and education
[edit]Chang was born on December 27, 1979, in Houston, Texas, to Taiwanese parents. His father was the billionaire Jason Chang. He grew up in Los Altos Hills, California. As a child, he enjoyed collecting, with one of his first collections being fruit stickers which he covered a binder with. He would go on to collect numerous other things including receipts, postcards, baseball bats, hotel stationery, and old Chinese megaphones.[3]
Chang majored in psychology and received a bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in 2002. During that time, he was housemates with Japanese artist Aki Sasamoto. He then worked as an artist assistant for Xu Bing in Manhattan for two years.[3]
Career
[edit]In 2008, Chang collected around 4,000 ink-dot portraits from The Wall Street Journal and reorganized them alphabetically into a yearbook-style publication titled The Class of 2008. Some portraits appeared multiple times, with Barack Obama, a Presidential candidate who would go on to win that year, appearing 94 times, and John McCain, his Republican rival, appearing 74 times. In 2012, the project was displayed at the White Space Gallery in Beijing.[3][5]
Chang also posted a photograph of each of his 3,417 The Beatles album covers (all white and numbered, as conceptualized by British conceptual artist Richard Hamilton) on Instagram at webuywhitealbums.[1][6]
Death
[edit]Chang died on January 24, 2025, in Manhattan. The cause of Chang's death at the age of 45 has not yet been established.[3] Reports of his death in Taiwanese media largely focused on his corporate roles and the potential impact on his father's businesses.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Kozinn, Allan (February 22, 2013). "A Plain White Square, and Yet So Fascinating". The New York Times.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (January 7, 2016). "Blockbusters: how Rutherford Chang became the second best Tetris player in the world". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Sandomir, Richard (February 9, 2025). "Rutherford Chang, Who Turned Collections Into Art, Dies at 45". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ "Helter Skelter! A Record Store that Only Stocks the White Album", February 21, 2013. Hyperallergic.
- ^ "Chinese Artist Marks a Year of News in WSJ Portaits". The Wall Street Journal. March 1, 2016.
- ^ Helter Skelter! A Record Store that Only Stocks the White Album, February 21, 2013, Hyperallergic
- ^ Enid Tsui (February 12, 2025). "Obituary: Art world, family mourn artist Rutherford Chang, Taiwan semiconductor firm founder's son". South China Morning Post.
External links
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
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