A Tradition Redefined: Modern and Contemporary Chinese Ink Paintings from the Chu-tsing Li Collection, 1950-2000

Co-organized by Phoenix Art Museum and the Harvard Art Museum, this exhibition showcases more than 50 works from the collection of distinguished historian of Chinese art Chu-tsing Li—the most important and comprehensive collection of modern and contemporary Chinese ink paintings in the West. In the second half of the 20th century, many ink painters experimented with subjects, media, formats, and styles both traditional and modern, East Asian and Western. Focusing on those five decades — a heretofore neglected period — A Tradition Redefined demonstrates the dramatic evolution of Chinese painting in modern times and lays the foundation for a deeper understanding of the international-style works produced in China today. Featuring paintings by artists active in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and abroad, the exhibition is the first to present a comprehensive examination of works created across a broad geographical range and includes many paintings not previously exhibited in the United States.

A fully-illustrated catalogue accompanies the exhibition and includes essays by the exhibition’s three co-curators: Robert D. Mowry, Janet Baker, and Claudia Brown, as well as by artist and independent scholar, Arnold Chang.

Organized by Robert D. Mowry, Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art, Harvard Art Museum; Janet Baker, curator of Asian art, Phoenix Art Museum; and Claudia Brown, professor of art history, Arizona State University, and research curator, Phoenix Art Museum.