<<The>> spirit of individualism Shanghai avant-garde art in the 1980s

This book is about avant-garde art in Shanghai in the 1980s which challenges the narrative in the current discourse on the appearance of contemporary art in China. Offering fresh perspectives and new insights into the art and the artists of this period, the book includes critical events in Shanghai, that will attract the serious attention of art professionals and collectors. The emergence of the Shanghai art scene in the 1980s mirrors the revitalisation of Shanghai that was tasked to lead China’s economic development trajectory onto the world stage. Shanghai, with its semi-colonial, political, economic and cultural history, including the strong legacy of the early twentieth century modernist art movement, has played a vital role in China’s modernisation and presents itself as a unique case in the evolution of contemporary art in China. Acknowledgements 7 Praise for The Spirit of Individualism 9 Contents 11 About the Author 14 List of Figures 15 1 Introduction 21 The Term Avant-Garde Art 24 Scope and Approach 28 2 The Spirit of Individualism in the Chinese Modern and Contemporary Art Context 31 New Culture Movement 33 The Modernist Art Movement 36 Early Modernisation in Shanghai’s Cultural Industry and Art Education 41 Changes in the Modern and Contemporary Sphere 46 Conclusion 52 3 National Discourse, Local Voice: Contemporary Chinese Art of the 1980s 54 4 The Matrix of Art Institutions and Organisations and Unofficial Art Exhibitions in Shanghai in the 1980s 79 The Matrix of Art Institutions and Organisations 79 The Critical Early Unofficial Art Exhibitions in Shanghai in the 1980s 83 Twelve Persons Painting Exhibition 83 Experimental Painting Exhibition: The Stage 1983 91 Concave-Convex Exhibition 94 The 1980s Art Exhibition and the M Conceptual Art Performance 97 Key International Exhibitions in Shanghai in the Late 1970s and Early 1980s 102 Exhibition of French Rural Landscape Paintings from the 19th Century 107 American Paintings from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 113 Conclusion 119 5 The Shanghai Art Museum—Bureaucratic System and Individual Influence (1979–1989) 121 Political and Bureaucratic Structures in the 1980s 122 Initiatives of Individuals in the 1980s 138 Shanghai Art Museum: Key Exhibitions in the 1980s 151 Shanghai Art Museum’s New Building Completion Exhibition 152 The Last Supper Exhibition 158 Shanghai Biennale 164 Conclusion 170 6 Zhang Jianjun: Experimenting in the Search for Eternal Elements 172 The Modernist Influence 174 Exploration and Experimentation 177 From Political Censorship to the First Prize Award 189 Individualist Character and Interactions with Other Avant-Garde Artists 197 International Influences and Interactions 207 Conclusion 215 7 Li Shan: A Nonconformist Artist 216 An Independent Mind 219 The Influence of Modernism and the Pursuit of Freedom in Artistic Expression 223 The Role in ’85 Art New Wave Movement: Events and Art Exhibitions 250 Conclusion 256 8 Yu Youhan: A Lonely Traveller 258 Connections of Early Twentieth-Century Modernist Art 259 The “Higher Education” Experience and the Early Exploration of Modernist Art 261 Influence and Friendship with Younger Artists 267 Abstract Art and Daoism in the 1980s 271 Political Pop and Personal History 281 Conclusion 291 9 Chen Zhen, Cai Guoqiang, and Gu Wenda 294 Chen Zhen 296 Cai Guoqiang 315 Gu Wenda 328 Conclusion 342 10 Conclusion 344 Appendix 348 Two Diagrams on the Chinese Bureaucratic Structure of Cultural Organisations 349 Glossary 351 Artist and Other Associations and Groups 351 Art Education Institutions 352 Art Galleries and Museums 353 Art Movements 353 Exhibitions 354 Political Campaigns and Groups 354 Political Slogans 355 Publications and Media 356 Illustration Credits 357 Bibliography 358 Index 387 "This timely, compelling, and extremely useful book adds considerably to our understanding of Chinese art immediately after the Cultural Revolution by linking the artistic development of Shanghai during the 1980s with the city's vibrant artistic role within Asia during the 1930s and early '40s. ..." --David Elliott, Curator|Writer|Museum Director|Teacher, Oxford|Stockholm|Tokyo|Istanbul|Sydney|Kyiv|Moscow|Guangzhou|Berlin "It fills a long-overlooked gap in the study of China's Avant-Garde centered in Shanghai during the period, but also connected to the earlier and subsequent development from a new historicist perspective. ...A must-read for understanding the evolution of Avant-Garde Art in China, but also of China in itself." --Qiu Xiaolong, Professor, Doctor, Author (of the prize-winning Inspector Chen series translated into twenty languages and sold over two million copies worldwide) This book offers fresh perspectives and new insights into the avant-garde art in Shanghai in the 1980s that challenges the narrative in the current discourse on the appearance of contemporary art in China. It includes critical events in Shanghai, that will attract the serious attention of art professionals and collectors. Shanghai, with its semi-colonial, political, economic and cultural history, including the strong legacy of the early twentieth-century modernist art movement, has played a vital role in China's modernisation and presents itself as a unique case in the evolution of contemporary art in China. Lansheng Zhang is an art historian and academic, art curator, artist and designer. He has worked in these roles with universities, governments, international organisations, major art institutions in China, Australia, Japan and Europe. His main research interests are in modern and contemporary art and design, art histories and visual cultures in Asia especially in China. He was an Adjunct Professor at the RMIT University Melbourne, Associate Professor at the East China Normal University Shanghai, Senior Fellow at Lincoln University, UK, Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, and recently a Research Fellow at the University of Sydney