Edutainment > Chinese Printmaking Today - Exhibition

From November 7, 2003 until March 19, 2004 an exhibition of Chinese woodblock prints of the twentieth century took place at the British Library in London in cooperation with the Muban Foundation. The Muban Foundation, the exhibition at the British Library and two subsequent book publication have played a pivotal role in making modern Chinese printmaking more aware outside of China.

This article was written as a background information at the occasion of artelino's auction no. 190, featuring some 9 artists that had been represented in this exhibition and/or are among the 60 selected artists for the so-called Muban portfolio (see below).

The Muban Foundation

The Muban Foundation was established in 1997 by Christer von der Burg and the late Verena Bolinder-Müller. Muban is the Chinese word for woodblocks. Christer van der Burg had run a bookshop, Hanshan in London, specialized in Asian arts books. The goal of the Foundation is to encourage contemporary Chinese woodblock printmaking and to make this art form aware to a wider audience outside of China.

The Muban Portfolio

Page No. 1 of Landscape, 2003
by Fang Limin, born 1964, copyright Fang Limin

In 1997 Christer van der Burg and Verena Bolinder-Müller undertook the first print purchasing trip to China. They visited the Chinese art academies and thus got contact with the printmakers. During several visits a portfolio of hundreds of prints was purchased.

The purchasing activities culminated in a project of a commission to 60 contemporary Chinese woodblock printmakers to produce one print representative for their work in an edition of 155 copies. Other than the total edition size, the only restrictions were minimum and maximum print sizes. The project ran over several years, from late 1997 until 2003. These 60 prints were published in 2003 in the book The Art of Contemporary Chinese Woodcuts.

The Exhibition

Next to the book publication, another major event gave a considerable exposure to the collection of the Muban Foundation. The British Library had set up an exhibition "Chinese Printmaking Today" in collaboration with the Muban Foundation. It was held from November 7, 2003 until March 19, 2004. The show displayed works by some 90 artists and included most of the sixty woodblock printmakers of the Muban portfolio as described above. The exhibition was accompanied by a catalog that has the quality of a book publication on modern Chinese printmaking with articles and references. The book is titled Chinese Printmaking Today.

The Artists

On the Field, 1997
by Li Yanpeng, born 1958, copyright Li Yanpeng

The exhibition represented a core group of leading Chinese printmakers, but also earlier examples and a few folk art prints by little known peasant artists. Overall there were some 90 artists represented.

1. An Bin, born 1962
2. A Ge, born 1948
3. Ban Ling, born 1952
4. Chao Mei, born 1931
5. Chen Haiyan, born 1955
6. Chen Long, born 1971
7. Chen Qi, born 1963
8. Chen Xuhai, born 1973
9. Chen Yixin, born 1938
10. Chen Yuping, born 1947
11. Dai Zhengsheng, born 1954
12. Fang Lijun, born 1963
13. Fang Limin, born 1964
14. Feng Zhaoping, born 1943
15. Feng Zhongtie, 1917-2002
16. Gao Hua, born 1957
17. Gao Rongsheng, born 1956
18. Gu Zhijun, born 1961
19. Guan Weixiao, born 1938
20. Guang Jun, born 1939
21. Han Likun, born 1938
22. Hao Boyi, born 1938
23. Hao Ping, born 1952
24. Hao Qiang, born 1968
25. He Kun, born 1962
26. He Weimin, born 1964
27. Ji Schicheng, born 1967
28. Jia Lijian, born 1960
29. Jiang Bibo, born 1939
30. Kang Ning, born 1950
31. Kong Fanjia, born 1957
32. Kou Yanming, born 1961
33. Li Yanpeng, born 1958
34. Li Yaqin, born 1962
35. Li Yili, born 1954
36. Li Zhong, born 1954
37. Liang Dong, born 1926
38. Lin Zhiyao, born 1942
39. Liu Yuhui
40. Lou Zhuhu
41. Lü Min, born 1962
42. Pan Min
43. Shao Keping, born 1916
44. Shen Roujian, 1918-1998
45. Shi Yi, born 1939
46. Shi Yongjun
47. Song Enhou, born 1936
48. Song Yuanwen, born 1933
49. Su Xinping, born 1960
50. Teng Yufeng, born 1952
51. Wang Bing, born 1961
52. Wang Chao, born 1974
53. Wang Huaxiang, born 1962
54. Wang Jieyin, born 1941
55. Wang Jinxu, born 1939
56. Wang Qi, born 1918
57. Wang Weixin, born 1938
58. Wang Wenming, born 1955
59. Wu Haicheng, born 1955
60. Wu Jide, born 1942
61. Xiang Silou, born 1956
62. Xu Bing, born 1955
63. Xu Kuang, born 1938
64. Xu Zhongmin, born 1961
65. Xu Zhongou, born 1952
66. Yan Han, born 1916
67. Yan Zhong, born 1931
68. Yang Chunhua, born 1953
69. Yang Feng, born 1960
70. Yang Keyang, born 1914
71. Yao Tianmu, born 1930
72. Ying Tianqi, born 1949
73. Yu Chengyou, born 1953
74. Yu Qihui, born 1934
75. Yuan Qinglu, born 1953
76. Zhang Chaoyang, born 1945
77. Zhang Fang, born 1960
78. Zhang Guanghui, born 1961
79. Zhang Huaijiang, 1922-1989
80. Zhang Hongxun, born 1957
81. Zhang Jiarui, born 1934
82. Zhang Minjie, born 1959
83. Zhang Songzu, born 1935
84. Zhang Yuanfan, born 1952
85. Zhang Yue
86. Zhao Yannian, born 1924
87. Zhao Zongzao, born 1931
88. Zheng Shuang, born 1936
89. Zheng Zijiang, born 1965
90. Zhong Changqing, born 1949
91. Zhou Baoping, born 1969
92. Zhou Dongshen, born 1938
93. Zhou Shengua, 1949-2000

The Impact of the Muban Foundation

Aware of Autumn, 2002
by Yu Chengyou, born 1953, copyright Yu Chengyou

The activities of Christer von der Burg and the late Verena Bolinder-Müller have started at a time (1997) when hardly anyone outside China knew anything about modern Chinese printmaking. The other notable aspect is the absence of a commercial market in China still in the late 1990s. Since then things have slowly begun to change. The Muban Foundation has played a considerable part in opening the path. As it is often the case, those who show up early, do set certain standards. With the book publications and the exhibition at the British Library, the core artists of the Muban collection do enjoy the aura of leading Chinese printmakers.

When Christer von der Burg and the late Verena Bolinder-Müller made the decision about the selection of the 60 artists (50 had been planned originally), they did it in close cooperation with the Chinese art academies. Therefore the selection of the 'circle of 60' does represent what the 'official' art scene in China at the time considered to be the best woodblock printmakers. The selection comprises however only artists who work in woodblock printmaking technique. It is the major technique chosen by Chinese printmakers. But it is not the only one. There are many, especially the younger artists, who use other techniques like silkscreen, etching, mezzotint or some mixed media hybrids.

After the experience of selling with artelino modern Chinese prints in direct cooperation with Chinese partners since ca. May 2003, we think that the selection of the 60 Muban portfolio artists was pretty representative for printmakers working with the medium of woodblocks. But of course, it is by no means exhaustive. There are many more excellent Chinese printmakers out there, both from the elder and of course the younger generation, who earn more public attention. And it is good as it is! Let's be glad that this art section has not yet been settled in rigid structures and with high prices. There is still so much to discover. And we are glad that we have been able to contribute to the development of Chinese printmaking by presenting and selling so many wonderful works to a worldwide audience outside of China.

Dieter and Yorie in June 2005

Literature

• "The Art of Contemporary Chinese Woodcuts", The Muban Foundation, ISBN 0-9546048-1-4, pages 134-135
• "Chinese Printmaking Today", published by British Library, ISBN 0 7123 4823 9, page 96-97

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