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Overseas couple makes valuable art donation
MANY older Chinese artworks are not in China because of the wars and revolutions of the previous century. One couple though recently repatriated a valuable collection of Chinese art to the Zhejiang Art Museum in Hangzhou.
The works, which include 31 paintings and calligraphy pieces, were donated by American-based Taiwanese writer and painter Liu Yong and his wife Bi Weiwei. These pieces were put on public display last week.
Born in 1949, Liu is a best-selling author. The works presented by Liu and Bi were from the couple’s private collection. They include pieces from noted Chinese artists Fu Baoshi (1904-1965), Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) and Ren Bonian (1840–1896).
The museum’s deputy curator, Yu Liangfeng, said “the value of those pieces is quite huge.” Yu mentioned that another of Fu’s pieces, entitled “Feng Guang Hao,” was auctioned off just weeks ago for over 66 million yuan (US$9.58 million).
Yu traveled to New York and met the couple earlier this year. He recalled that their intended donation was based in part on Liu’s feelings of “homesickness” as well as the couple’s wish to see the artworks return to “where they belonged.”
Liu’s grandfather was from Lin’an, Hangzhou, and around one third of the artists behind the donated works were from Zhejiang.
Standouts from the collection include’s Fu’s “Mountain and Water,” a mid-sized piece done in traditional Chinese-style that shows a surging waterfall. Ren Bonian’s “Fishers’ Finger Guessing Game,” which vividly depicts fishermen at the foot of a mountain, is one of Liu’s favorite pieces for its exquisite combination of landscape and figure painting.
And “Grapes” by Liu Haisu (1896-1994) features both traditional Chinese ink and Western perspective techniques.
The couple even took three pieces from their own walls and gave them to the curator. One of these was Zhang Daqian’s calligraphy, which was used as an inscription for one of Liu’s book.
Zhang was one of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the 20th century. Zhang and Liu also knew each other, and Zhang’s first painting created in Taiwan was given to Liu.
To accelerate cultural exchange between China’s mainland and Taiwan, Liu donated Taiwanese artists’ works as well, including four by Huang Junbi, who was also one of Liu’s teachers.
Liu recommends visitors pay close attention to Huang’s “Painting from Jialing River.” Huang, like many traditional Chinese artists, seldom painted from life. Despite this though, his pieces are enlivened by sophisticated techniques.
This is the second time the Zhejiang Art Museum has received an overseas donation. Last year, 99 paintings and calligraphy works were donated by the relatives of artist Fu Juanfu. Fu was born in Hangzhou in 1910 and was a famous art educator, painter and calligrapher.
The donations included a horse painting by Xu Beihong (1895-1953), calligraphy by Yu Youren (1879-1964), who was also an educator and political leader.
Date: Through January 15, 2017 (closed on Mondays and public holidays), 9am-5pm
Address: 4/F, Zhejiang Art Museum, 128 Nanshan Rd
Admission: Free
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