The Spirit of Individualism: Shanghai Avant-Garde Art in the 1980s

Description

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 Praise for The Spirit of Individualism Contents About the Author List of Figures 1 Introduction The Term Avant-Garde Art Scope and Approach 2 The Spirit of Individualism in the Chinese Modern and Contemporary Art Context New Culture Movement The Modernist Art Movement Early Modernisation in Shanghai’s Cultural Industry and Art Education Changes in the Modern and Contemporary Sphere Conclusion 3 National Discourse, Local Voice: Contemporary Chinese Art of the 1980s 4 The Matrix of Art Institutions and Organisations and Unofficial Art Exhibitions in Shanghai in the 1980s The Matrix of Art Institutions and Organisations The Critical Early Unofficial Art Exhibitions in Shanghai in the 1980s Twelve Persons Painting Exhibition Experimental Painting Exhibition: The Stage 1983 Concave-Convex Exhibition The 1980s Art Exhibition and the M Conceptual Art Performance Key International Exhibitions in Shanghai in the Late 1970s and Early 1980s Exhibition of French Rural Landscape Paintings from the 19th Century American Paintings from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Conclusion 5 The Shanghai Art Museum—Bureaucratic System and Individual Influence (1979–1989) Political and Bureaucratic Structures in the 1980s Initiatives of Individuals in the 1980s Shanghai Art Museum: Key Exhibitions in the 1980s Shanghai Art Museum’s New Building Completion Exhibition The Last Supper Exhibition Shanghai Biennale Conclusion 6 Zhang Jianjun: Experimenting in the Search for Eternal Elements The Modernist Influence Exploration and Experimentation From Political Censorship to the First Prize Award Individualist Character and Interactions with Other Avant-Garde Artists International Influences and Interactions Conclusion 7 Li Shan: A Nonconformist Artist An Independent Mind The Influence of Modernism and the Pursuit of Freedom in Artistic Expression The Role in ’85 Art New Wave Movement: Events and Art Exhibitions Conclusion 8 Yu Youhan: A Lonely Traveller Connections of Early Twentieth-Century Modernist Art The “Higher Education” Experience and the Early Exploration of Modernist Art Influence and Friendship with Younger Artists Abstract Art and Daoism in the 1980s Political Pop and Personal History Conclusion 9 Chen Zhen, Cai Guoqiang, and Gu Wenda Chen Zhen Cai Guoqiang Gu Wenda Conclusion 10 Conclusion Appendix Two Diagrams on the Chinese Bureaucratic Structure of Cultural Organisations Glossary Artist and Other Associations and Groups Art Education Institutions Art Galleries and Museums Art Movements Exhibitions Political Campaigns and Groups Political Slogans Publications and Media Illustration Credits Bibliography Index