Art Brokerage: (born 1963) Cao Yong began his life in Japan by working as a gravedigger and taking small painting commissions. But soon his talents attracted much larger commissions, in the form of several enormous murals. Within a few years, Cao Yong was recognized as the nation's most honored muralist; his murals adorned stylish commercial buildings, high-class department stores, and even ceremonial sites throughout Japan. Meanwhile, Cao Yong continued to work passionately on his Tibet paintings, creating a body of his finest work then to date. Exhibited in Tokyo's prominent museums and art galleries, Cao Yong's art electrified the nation's art world, and he was extolled by the Japanese press as "an artistic genius of our time."