Landscapes Clear and Radiant: Art of Wang Hui (1632-1717) September 11, 2008

Wang Hui, the most celebrated painter of late 17th-century China, played a key role in reinvigorating past traditions of landscape painting as well as in establishing the stylistic foundations for the imperially sponsored art of the Manchu Qing court. An artist of protean talent and immense artistic ambition, Wang developed an all-embracing synthesis of historical landscape styles that constituted one of the greatest innovations in the arts of late imperial China. The exhibition will feature 27 masterpieces by Wang Hui from the Taipei and Beijing Palace Museums, the Shanghai Museum, and several North American collections, including five outstanding works from the museum permanent collections.