Gallery News

By Editorial Stuff

New York

Pair of weights Warring States period (475-221 BCE) Bronze inlaid with gold and silver, and traces of lacquer Height 6 cm `Nine Treasures of Ancient China and Portraits of Nine Luohan' Gisele Croes at Danese Gallery, New York

From 11 to 30 March, William Lipton Ltd will present fifteen unusual pieces of furniture accompanied by a fine group of scholar's objects. The furniture includes an 18th century low zitan chair possibly used in the practice of qigong and a late Ming/early Qing dynasty huanguali footrest with massage rollers. An early 19th century erotic album composed of over 100 paintings in gouache will also be offered for sale. The painting in each image is of fine quality. Two large Song dynasty wood sculptures complete the selection. One is a depiction of the Buddha, the other of Guanyin. Both are beautifully carved, with finely executed facial features evoking a sense of serenity and grace. The East Corner Company, Inc., a new gallery in Greenwich Village devoted to Chinese furniture and works of art, will hold its debut exhibition, `Art in Time and Life', from 14 to 28 March. Pieces from the gallery's three areas of focus are featured: Chinese furniture, ceramics and jade. Zhen-Hua Jiang, one of the principals in the business, explains that the objective is to place the pieces not only in their historical context, but also to explain how they were used in daily life. Eight pairs of chairs and other seats dating from the 17th to the early 20th century will be on view. The development of chairs to suit different climates, and the use of specific materials for certain purposes will be illustrated. One of the highlights is a pair of late 17th/early 18th century `southern official's hat' armchairs, made of jumu in the Anhui style. Jades will be grouped according to design motif rather than period, and the porcelain dates from the Song dynasty to the early Republican period, with an emphasis on pieces that were made to be used, such as censers, pillows, covered jars and bowls. The gallery was opened at 44 Carmine Street in June 2000, by Gerard DeBenedetto and Zhen-Hua Jiang's sister, Fanghua Jiang. Their intent is to be accessible by offering a learning environment to all those who come in to browse, explaining the art and the pieces in order to build a clientele. DeBenedetto emphasizes that a high degree of service is a vital component of their business, as is full disclosure of any repairs or restoration to the pieces. London dealer Nicholas Grindley has moved his exhibition `March 2002' to a new venue this year, at Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox (US) Ltd (17 East 76th Street, 2nd floor) from 15 to 23 March. As well as furniture in huanghuali and hongmu, Grindley will be showing one of the most important pieces he has ever handled, a 15th century red-lacquer folding table, probably from the official workshops in Beijing. Qiangjin decoration, in which lines are incised into the lacquer and filled with gold leaf, before a further layer of lacquer is added, is a technique which, although used for several centuries previously, reached its high point in the early Ming period. Two similar but smaller tables are known, in the Victoria and Albert Museum and The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The table also resembles in form and design an example excavated from the tomb of Prince Zhu Tan (d. 1389). Among the Buddhist art is a Northern Qi limestone Avalokiteshvara and a section from a Liao period wood mandala. This shows an apsaras among swirling clouds, holding a flaming pearl on a tray. It retains traces of its original gilding and pigment. A fully illustrated catalogue is available. Annie Yau Gallery will hold its first New York exhibition, entitled `Rare Song Porcelain and Warring States Bronzes, from 15 March to 7 April. The newly opened gallery is at 173 West 88th Street, Suite A. A native of Xi'an, Annie Yau and her family moved to Hong Kong ten years ago, where they opened a shop dealing in Chinese ceramics and works of art and sold to top international dealers. Her father was a prominent professor of Chinese porcelain in Xi'an for over 25 years and will work closely with her in the new venture. Yau has opened the gallery with the hope of expanding her clientele to include more private collectors, and has spent a long time accumulating objects for the inaugural show, which will feature over fifty of her most important pieces. Among the Song porcelains are a rare Cizhou black `oil-spotted' yuhuchunping, which according to Yau is the only perfect example of this shape known, and a large Jizhou ware meiping. The Warring States bronzes include inscribed vessels inlaid with gold and silver, bird finials inlaid with gold and turquoise, and chariot fittings. An inscribed Tang silver hu and 18th and 19th century Chinese furniture will also be on view. Eric Zetterquist is aware that his exhibition should be titled `green-glazed stonewares', but prefers the imprecise, more commonly used title of `Celadons'. The fifteen on view at his gallery from 17 to 28 March will give collectors an overview of the development of celadon glazes from the Eastern Jin to the Ming period. By focusing on East Asian ceramics, Zetterquist believes he has the ability to explore the different qualities and manifestations of wares and offer thematic exhibitions that are of educational and aesthetic importance. He has included a few early study pieces but, as with past exhibitions, his emphasis is on elegant form and rich monochrome glazes rather than decoration. This particular show focuses on upright forms rather than the bowls and dishes more commonly seen in existing collections. Zetterquist notes: `My personal experience is that one never tires of a piece that has dynamic form.' From the Five Dynasties period is a Yue ware ewer, its elegant shape decorated with a scrolling slip design reminiscent of Tang aesthetics; the piece is unusual in that it retains its original lid. Typical of the elegant, simple and well-proportioned forms covered in lustrous blue-green glazes that were produced by the Longquan potters during the Southern Song are an arrow vase and the star piece, a large yuhuchunping. To demonstrate other glaze treatments, Zetterquist will also feature two or three Southeast Asian wares, including a 15th century celadon tea bowl from Vietnam and a monumental 14th/15th century Northern Thai jar. Giuseppe Eskenazi's exhibition is entitled `Chinese Buddhist Sculpture from Northern Wei to Ming'. It takes place at PaceWildenstein, 32 East 57th Street, from 18 to 30 March. The earliest among the nineteen artworks is a Northern Wei grey sandstone apsaras dated to the late 5th century, originally from Cave 1 of the Yungang cave-temple complex in Shanxi, and formerly in the Bjorkmann collection in Switzerland. The flying celestial figure wears a loose, belted robe and raises a large bowl with the left hand. The eyes are downcast beneath arched eyebrows and the small mouth is set in a smile. A fragment of limestone panel from the 1st half of the 6th century, also Northern Wei, contains six figures in procession, of which the upper halves are visible. The largest, and therefore most important, is a female holding a lotus-shaped offering bowl. Her hair is dressed in a double chignon, while her five attendants display various hairstyles and are dressed in loose-sleeved robes. Processions of Buddhist devotees are characteristic of stone sculptures from this period, and examples from Cave 1 are considered to represent the best of the type. The panel was formerly in the collection of Hashimoto Kansetsu in Kyoto. A dark grey limestone bodhisattva head also appears to have come from a cave temple - in this case, the stone indicates that it could be from one of the main caves at Longmen in Henan province. Carving of the temples began in the fifth century and continued throughout the Tang period, to which this bodhisattva is dated. It has been in several European collections, most recently the Genty collection in Spain. Another bodhisattva, a large wood example from the Jin or Yuan period, bears traces of pigment and gilding. The standing figure is heavily jewelled and wears a belted tunic. Formerly in the collection of Paul Houo-Ming-Tse in Paris, it is of a type made in northern Shanxi as adornments for temples. From the Yuan period is a gilt-bronze bodhisattva seated in `royal ease'. His left foot rests on a double-petalled lotus and his right knee is raised, with the foot placed on a textured mat. He wears a double-looped necklace with a central rosette, rendered in elaborate detail, and his shawl is decorated with a scrolling lotus design. Gilt-bronze bodhisattvas in this posture generally represent the `Water and Moon Guanyin' or `South Seas Guanyin', seated on the rocky shore of Mt Potalaka. Eskenazi's show is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with an introduction by Edmund Capon, Director of the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Gisele Croes has broken away from the International Asian Art Fair to hold an independent exhibition. This move by Croes could be considered bold by others who have dropped out of the fair in the face of uncertain market conditions, but it is an indication of her confidence in the market and that there is still a strong demand from collectors in her realm. She comments`Admittedly my clients have been a little cautious in the last four months but there is still a demand for top quality archaic bronzes vessels and metalwork.' Her experience is that her clients have not changed the way they live nor the way in which they acquire works of art. By having an independent show, Croes gives every indication that she wishes to defend her position and remain at the top of her field. She has two main themes for her exhibition, which will move from her Brussels gallery (6 to 10 March) to Danese Gallery, 41 East 57th Street (18 to 28 March): nine exceptional pieces from ancient China, and a series of nine luohan portraits from the Yongle reign period. A group of four large Eastern Zhou bronze bells, characteristic of products of the Houma foundries, are exceptionally well cast and decorated. Such ensembles are extremely rare in private collections, and even in major museums. Other bronzes are equally impressive: a pair of Warring States weights in the form of phoenixes and a large pair of Han door handles or door knockers in gilt bronze, decorated with a bear taotie. Two pairs of earthenware figures, from the Six Dynasties and the Tang period, represent two couples. Few earthenware sculptures of such size, around 1 metre high, have been discovered to date. The luohan paintings were exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in 1994 and 1997. Each contains objects of revered antiquity, such as a bronze tripod, a jade bi or a lacquer box, as well as reflecting early Ming courtly taste for Sino-Tibetan themes. They are published in Splendours of Yongle Painting, a catalogue by Croes. From 18 March to 20 April Kaikodo features interesting pieces from the gallery's inventory as well as recent acquisitions. As there is no central theme, the catalogue will not contain essays this time, concentrating instead on presenting works that stand out for their rarity, beauty, or distinctive style and iconography. The 29 Chinese paintings include an anonymous Song depiction of a flower basket, and Ox in a Landscape, attributed to Yuan artist Zhang Fangru. Both embody themes rarely found outside Japanese art. Also on view are calligraphy by 16th century master Zhang Ling, three Ming period Daoist paintings of the `Three Purities' and works by Sheng Maoye, Cheng Sui, Gong Xian and Wang Hui. Japanese animal paintings are represented by Hawk in Winter by Tadanaga, a pair of tiger paintings by So Shizan and Carp by Torei. The supernatural is a popular theme in Japanese art, and one example on view at Kaikodo is Female Ghost, an anonymous painting in which the image arises from the centre of a cremated body to take its position in the centre of a spider's web on the borders of the picture. 35 Chinese ceramics and works of art will also be on view. A notable example is a foliate mouth Yaozhou celadon jar predating the more usual Northern Song carved forms. It is undecorated in the manner of Tang period Yaozhou wares. A number of the ceramics are unusually large, such as a Liao white stoneware box with a carved dragon design. Produced in around the 11th century, its size and subject-matter suggest it was commissioned by a person of rank. An early 15th century meiping unusually combines a dragon and a phoenix in white on a cobalt-blue ground. Among the other objects are a Tangut gilt-silver bracelet with a Sanskrit character, a Han gilded bronze weight in the shape of a tortoise, its carapace a large cowrie shell, and a Liao ruyi-shaped wood pillow with a silk headrest cover woven with a medallion and deer design. According to Howard Rogers, short-term market trends are affected by so many factors that predictions are risky, but with good judgement, longer-term developments can be identified. In particular, the Chinese market will continue to grow, making Chinese art a good buy; meanwhile, prices for Japanese art are relatively depressed compared even to last year, which will benefit dealers building a solid inventory rather than looking for quick sales. Rossi & Rossi of London will hold an exhibition from 18 to 26 March. The show, `Symbols of Buddhism: Sculpture and Painting from India and the Himalayas', takes place at Dickinson Roundell Inc., 19 East 66th Street, and is accompanied by a catalogue. Fabio Rossi comments that the objects have been selected for their transcendental beauty, and their purpose of bringing spiritual enlightenment for the viewer closer through encounter with the artworks. One of the earliest is a 2nd/3rd century central Indian fragment of carved red sandstone. This is a double-sided shalabanjika (woman and tree), of which the lower portion remains. It would originally have formed part of the supporting bracket on a gateway. One side of the fragment shows a yakshi standing on a crouching dwarf, while the yakshi on the other side stands on a crocodilian creature with a fin-like tail. These goddesses are spirits representing the feminine power and vitality which have brought to life the trees against which they are depicted leaning. A 13th century Nepalese gilt-copper Avalokiteshvara is of great interest because of its rarity: almost 1 metre high, and cast in one piece, it is inlaid with lapis lazuli, gems and glass. The sculptor's skill is evident from the fine detail seen in the jewellery. A central Tibetan thangka dated to the late 12th or early 13th century depicts Vajravarahi (`Diamond Sow'), a symbol of freedom from ignorance. The red figure is shown dancing on a supine man against a background of flames in deeper red. This central section of the painting also displays her entourage of eight dancers. It is bordered on four sides by images of the eight holy cremation grounds, separated by rivers and set against a dark blue background. 31 figures of seated or dancing deities and holy men are set around the edge of the painting. A Tibetan work of later date, a circa 15th/16th century stone sculpture, represents Panjara Mahakala. The gilded and painted figure has a head-dress decorated with skulls and holds a knife with which he crushes the contents of a skull cup in his other hand. This wrathful deity perhaps symbolizes the `Lord of Cemeteries'. At the top of the sculpture perches a Garuda. A 17th/18th century gilt-copper-alloy mandala from Mongolia is in the form of a pedestal-mounted globe which opens out to become an eight-petalled lotus. Each petal holds images from the celestial assembly of Samvara and Vajravarahi, who form the central figures. The piece has strong stylistic similarities to works by the renowned monk-artist Zanabazar. The show by Oriental Arts UK will take place from 18 to 27 March at Maxwell Davidson Gallery in the Fuller Building, 41 East 57th Street. Around thirty objects will be on display, among them Tang to Qing period ceramics, and Song, Yuan and Ming lacquer. The ceramics include Guan ware and imperial pieces, among them a Qianlong dragon meiping, while a highlight of the lacquerware is a Yuan period dish with a design of birds and hollyhock, and a pair of circular `knick-knack seller' boxes from the Jiajing period. From 18 March to 15 April, China 2000 Fine Art will present an exhibition of recent paintings and calligraphy by Xu Bing, Hou Wenyi, Zhang Hongtu, Wei Jia and Zhang Jianjun entitled `Contemporary Brush Strokes: New York Artists from China. The work and lives of these five artists have been shaped by dramatic changes in China in the late 20th century, as well as by the New York artistic scene in which they are now immersed. They have chosen to create a new `middle space' for themselves between China and the West, represented by their use of both Chinese traditional and Western oil painting techniques and materials. Each has a voice quite distinct from contemporary Chinese artists living in China and native New York artists. There are twenty works in the show, and the major themes explored include the use of cultural heritage, the relationship of the individual to art and society and the quest for artistic identity in a new environment. Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts are exhibiting Shinto art from 18 March to 30 April. Yanagi thought this would be an appropriate time as the recent exhibition at the British Museum had generated interest in this neglected field of Japanese art. A very important piece, the Hiyoshi Sanno Mandala, from the Nambokucho Period (14th century) is comparable to an example in a shrine in Shiga prefecture, designated an Important Cultural Property. Another mandala, the Kasuga Myogo Mandala, is rare because instead of having figures in the middle, there is an inscription in calligraphy, `Kasuga Namu Daimyojin' with the symbol for the five shrines and the Kasuga mountains above it and lotus leaves beneath. It dates from the 15th century. Two important works are a 14th/15th century Yabusame sculpture of an archer on horseback, similar to an Important Art Object in the Kasuga shrine, and a rare and impressive Uho Doji wood sculpture from the Muromachi period. `Weisbrod 30 Years: An Anniversary Exhibition' celebrates three decades in the trade for Weisbrod Ltd. The gallery started out as a small shop in Toronto, moving to New York in 1977. Objects from areas for which the gallery is well known have been chosen for the show: a set of Neolithic jades from Zhejiang province, a Western Zhou bronze he, Buddhist sculptures in stone, wood and lacquer, ceramics from the early Six Dynasties period to the Qing, as well as a coromandel screen and objects in glass and cloisonn‚. A catalogue accompanies the exhibition, which runs from 19 to 26 March. Barry Friedman and Joan B. Mirviss will once again present the work of Japanese ceramic artist Kondo Takahiro in `Celestial Ceramics: The Art of Kondo Takahiro', from 19 March to 18 May. This is only Kondo's second show in the United States and will feature over fifty works, ranging from soaring and glistening sculptural forms to intimate small carved porcelain boxes glazed in deep shades of cobalt blue and aquamarine, then covered in beaded metallic glazes. Kondo is the grandson of the renowned Kondo Yuzo, who was a specialist in blue-and-white porcelain. He has explored the theme of water in his clay work for over ten years. He applies his unique silver, gold and platinum drop over glaze, representing `water born out of fire', to porcelain boxes, vases and sculpted forms to create magical surfaces. His works can be seen in museums in America, Brazil and Scotland. Dealers participating in the International Asian Art Fair as well as holding shows in their galleries include China 2000 Fine Art, MD Flacks Ltd, Scholten Japanese Art and The Chinese Porcelain Company. The show at MD Flacks Ltd, entitled `Classical Chinese Furniture V, runs from 19 to 29 March, and comprises eighteen objects such as chairs, stools, benches, tables, cabinets and a number of small pieces. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue. Highlights among the huanghuali are a large 18th century horseshoe chair with a panelled back splat of fluid and open design and an elegant high-waisted painting table with giant's arm braces and a tiger-stripe burlwood top dating to the 17th century. Among rarely seen forms is a pair of 18th century square corner cabinets with hinges and foliate lockplates and an 18th century side table with openwork spandrels and aprons which bears a branded inscription from a 1960s commune - probably the reason it survived destruction. `Modern Landscapes, Modern Beauties: The Woodblock Prints of Ito Shinsui (1898-1972)', from 19 March to 20 April, is an exhibition of works by modern printmaker Ito Shinsui at Scholten Japanese Art. The comprehensive selection spans the entire career of this leading proponent of the shin hanga genre. Shinsui was also very well-known in the United States during his lifetime. Along with other shin hanga artists, Shinsui revitalized ukiyo-e, and works such as the landscape Ukimido Temple, Katada from the series Eight Views of Omi illustrate how successfully he did so. He was, however, most famous for his bijinga, illustrations of beautiful women. One of the more dynamic examples is Blizzard, from 1932. Eyebrow Pencil, a critical and commercial success, is one of his most striking prints. It is in vertical format, and the deep red background contrasts with the whiteness of the actress' skin, offering a portrayal that is as realistic as it is idealized. `Transitory and Timeless: Ancient Chinese Pottery', at The Chinese Porcelain Company from 19 March to 6 April, will focus on a group of Neolithic pottery dating from the fourth to the second millennium BCE. More than sixty works from several early river cultures are represented: among them the Yangshao, Dawenkou, Majiayao, Qijia and Siwa. The simple but elegant forms and bold surface decoration are distinctive, and the early potters achieved a remarkable level of sophistication. The majority are Majiayao, and the familiar abstract curvilinear patterns on these jars are both dramatic and modern in their simplicity. The less well-known Qijia culture scoops, pouring vessels and figures, which incorporate animal heads into their forms, are quite different, but have a unique charm. Suzanne Mitchell, a specialist in Japanese and Korean art, will hold a joint exhibition with Kippei Gallery of Tokyo from 20 to 30 March. Although not widely known abroad, Kippei has been in business since the 1960s and supplies important collectors and museums in Japan. One focus of the show, which is titled `Japanese Art: Medieval to Modern' will be Buddhist works from the Kamakura period. These include a section from an illustrated Sutra of Cause and Effect, a large ink sketch of Fudo Myo-o, and a small sculpture of Nyoirin Kannon. Secular objects will also be displayed, such as a group of Echizen and Shigaraki jars from the `Six Old Kilns' of the Muromachi period, and a large selection of Edo period cloisonne mountings from fusuma and furniture. Among the calligraphy and paintings are a letter written by warrior and tea practitioner Hosokawa Sansai and Crane, Pine and Rising Sun by Kawanabe Kyosai. From 20 March to 20 April, `A Minimal Vision: Furniture with Paintings by Yun Gee' at Chambers Fine Art showcases paintings by the Guangdong-born artist, alongside Ming and Qing furniture. As the title suggests, the objects have been chosen for their unadorned refinement, exemplified by a 17th century bookshelf in which the lack of decoration creates an aesthetically pleasing visual balance between the posts and the shelves. The paintings by Yun Gee, who had left China for San Francisco in 1921, were produced between 1926 and 1933 in San Francisco, Paris and New York. They include self-portraits, figure studies and three studies for Last Supper. This is the first Yun Gee exhibition in New York since 1983. Leighton Longhi, a New York private dealer in Japanese art, expressed disappointment at Sotheby's decision to discontinue Japanese sales in New York. The Japanese art-dealing community is so private that although a lot has been happening, the public has remained unaware of it. Longhi stressed the need for these dealers to make themselves more accessible during Asia Week to attract new clients. He added that he will have a varied collection of new and exciting pieces, including sculpture, paintings and screens, to show private collectors and museum curators in town for Asia Week. 33 Dynasties has a group of Song ceramics as well as early Chinese, Khmer and Cham bronze and stone sculptures. Among the Chinese works are a Southern Song Guan ware bird feeder, a Longquan arrow vase, a painted black-stone Eastern Wei bodhisattva, and several Northern Qi and Tang sculptures. Khmer art is represented by a 12th century dancing apsaras and an 11th century bronze kneeling woman, among other objects. Cham pieces are rarely seen in the United States; the gallery has several carvings in relief and a 10th century freestanding worshipper in sandstone. Although 33 Dynasties normally gives viewings by appointment only, the gallery will open to the public for part of Asia week. Those interested may contact Lewis Stein by e-mail (info@mail.33dynasties.com) or call after 14 March for details of the schedule (tel. 212 431 3187). In addition to his selection of fine early Chinese ceramics, Andrew Kahane has a large pottery horse dating from the late 6th or early 7th century. It is one of a rare group of dense grey pieces from northern China made during the later Six Dynasties or early Tang period, and is possibly the largest known example of its type. It is notable for its high degree of hand modelling rather than moulding. The saddle is integral, an unusual feature, as horses of this type tend to have detachable and interchangeable saddles. The Dalai Lama's upcoming visit to New York in April will form a backdrop for the show at Michael Cohn Asian Antiquities. The exhibition, which takes place in March and April, is devoted to Gelugpa (Yellow Hat sect) works. The Gelug order, to which the Dalai Lama lineage belongs, has been the dominant sect in Tibet for the last five centuries, and has produced a great proportion of the region's art. Works on display will include a 15th/16th century thangka painting of Tsongkhapa, the Gelug founder, a second Tsongkhapa portrait from 19th century Mongolia or Buryatia and a unique 17th/18th century thangka painting of the fifth Dalai Lama. Among the sculptures are gilt-bronze images of Avalokiteshvara. A selection of photographs of the present Dalai Lama will also be shown. Asiatica of Kansas City produces custom-made and ready-to-wear garments from old and new Japanese textiles as well as other fabrics. They will hold a show in New York from 15 to 29 March. For details, call 800 731 0831 (or fax 913 831 1110; e-mail asiaticakc@aol.com).

`Hawk in Winter Oak' By Kazan-in Tadanaga (1588-1662) Hanging scroll, ink on silk Height 117 cm, width 52 cm `Spring 2002' Kaikodo, New York

To celebrate their 35th anniversary, E&J Frankel will present `The Writings of My Mind: Paintings and Calligraphy by Wan Qingli' from 21 March to 4 May. Wan, Professor of Fine Art at the University of Hong Kong, would seem an appropriate choice as his artistic career has spanned the same number of years. This is also a long-delayed sentimental return for the artist, who last had a solo show with the Frankels in 1985. The literati believed that the man could be seen in his work. Here the inner workings of the man are laid bare for the viewer to deconstruct. Wan modestly refers to himself as a `Sunday painter', but his creations represent an outlet for fighting and negotiating his surroundings. Even though he has been resident in Hong Kong since 1989, the curiosity, bewilderment, amusement, and finally resignation of the outsider is still reflected in his work. For any recent arrival, daily life with its vibrant, in-your-face `Canto' culture is an assault on the senses. While retreats by the sea and in the hills, and quiet walking trails offer avenues to solitude in this concrete jungle, true liberation ultimately lies in a journey of the spirit and the soul. This is what Wan Qingli's work is about. Wan began making mental journeys when he was incarcerated in an ox-pen during the Cultural Revolution. Li Keran, his fellow inmate taught him to paint. Li's surviving calligraphy practice sheets from this period show how he would reuse them until they had become almost completely black with ink. As the characters became increasingly obscured from overwriting, the act of conceptualizing form shifted from the eye to the mind. They are a testimony to a man's painstaking effort to maintain creativity, further his skill, and thus transcend material discomfort and physical horror. This was a seminal period in Wan's life, commemorated in one of his seals `xiao peng you' (little friend of the ox-pen). He also pays tribute to his teacher in his academic research: his latest book is a definitive account of the life and work of Li. He also studied under Lu Yanshao, and by the late 1970s and 1980s, had begun to receive prestigious commissions for the Great Hall of the People and Zhongnanhai. Eventually, he left for America where he obtained his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Kansas. Wan Qingli works in the traditional manner of the scholar-artist and is a master of sanjue (the `three perfections' of painting, poetry and calligraphy). Paintings like Qingbian Mountains: Meditating on the Ancients recall Wang Meng and Dong Qichang in both subject-matter and virtuosity of the brush. Like these past masters who created `the landscapes of their hearts', Wan's are abstractions evocative of vastness and distance. Comprising broad swaths of colour and ink-gradation, sparsely punctuated by deft brushwork, they are distinctively recognizable. Various facets of Wan can be discerned: melancholic eremite, idealist, bemused teacher, father and friend. However, the lasting image which the viewer is left with is that of an astute observer. In the non-landscape paintings, image and text are worked into ascerbic social commentary. An unseen presence can be felt in the scholarly setting of Where Have the Musician and His Audience Gone? with its unfinished cups of tea and a qin amidst the bamboo and rocks. Superficially, the work seems imbued with literati flavour, but a closer reading reveals more. In a central yet discreet position lies a car key, as if to mirror the qin's placement. He uses this as a lynchpin for an attack on art criticism, the love of lucre and the nature of modernity in his inscription. He signs off with `written by Wan Qingli in the modern times'. `Modeng' is a word which comes up several times in Wan's work; a deliberate Chinese reference to `modern', it is regularly used to signify anything that is new, foreign, Western or breaks with tradition. Wan writes in a mixture of formal Chinese and colourful Cantonese colloquialisms. The Dream of Dwelling in Mountains reminds one of a giant cartoon bubble. The depiction of a man paying respects to a Daoist priest is merely suggestive of the voice he has adopted. The text, written out in the slapdash manner of a public poster, is rich in double meaning. This is a brilliantly sardonic description of Hong Kong life, with its high society, intrusive paparazzi, florid businessmen, punters at the racecourse and the stock exchange, neighbourhood busybodies, overdressed housewives, fortune-tellers and fengshui men. In his other works, a veritable rogues' gallery emerges: Zhong Kui the demon queller as an immigrant in America, Hanshan and Shide as ugly employees in the tourism department, the art critic who appraises with his ears, hungry fish who represent the nosey-parkers and the tabloid press, confronting hedgehogs, the frog who desires the view from the well, and King Kong as a gentle reminder of the need for diplomatic language. While the viewer is infected by Wan's sublime sense of the ridiculous, he is also made keenly aware of inherent ironies and contradictions. By adopting the stance of an ancient looking into the future, Wan examines the nature of `modernity' in this postmodern age. Through the use of traditional methods and motifs, he interprets contemporary life. Culling from the popular, he creates works for the elite. For the artist himself, it has been both the best and worst of times: from a battle with leukaemia, there has now come an outpouring of creativity.

`He' Western Zhou period (c. 1050-771 BCE) Bronze `Weisbrod 30 Years: An Anniversary Exhibition' Weisbrod Ltd, New York