The Paper learned that on February 23, the "Chinese Bamboo Carving Art Exhibition" jointly curated by the Liechtenstein National Museum and the Shanghai Museum opened at the Liecht National Expo, exhibiting 60 pieces of bamboo carvings collected by the Shanghai Museum, through this art world composed of traditional Chinese crafts and Jiangnan literati aesthetics, opening a useful door and window for European and world audiences to appreciate Chinese bamboo carving art.
Bamboo carving is a special category in Chinese arts and crafts, and it is also a unique carving art in China, with unique craft techniques, unique aesthetic tastes and independent cultural character. The art of bamboo carving is the ultimate fruit of the profound Chinese bamboo culture. It is reported that this exhibition is also the first time that the bamboo carving works collected by the Shanghai Museum have been exhibited in Europe on a large scale and systematically.
In his welcome speech at the opening ceremony, Dr. Rainer Vollkommer, Director of the Liechtenstein National Museum, said: "We are very grateful to the Shanghai Museum for allowing us to exhibit their collection of 60 outstanding bamboo sculptures from the past 500 years. This is also the first time that the Shanghai Museum has displayed these artifacts in Europe. I have known the Shanghai Museum for many years and have had the privilege of meeting with the curator, Professor Yang Zhigang, many times. We always exchange and discuss the importance of cultural exchange in promoting knowledge and understanding among peoples and for museums. It was in this context that we decided to do what we said we would and hold this exhibition at the Liechtenstein National Museum. It was the two museums that worked together to bring this exhibition to life. We hope that this exhibition will help European audiences learn more about Chinese people. I wish the exhibition every success and trust that visitors will be happy to explore these profound bamboo carvings. ”
Yang Zhigang, director of the Shanghai Museum, said: "Because bamboo products are not easy to preserve, the opportunity for bamboo carving artworks to be exhibited has always been less, and it is the first time that such a large-scale and systematic exhibition in foreign museums is the first time in the Shanghai Museum." I hope that this temporary exhibition can open a useful door and window for friends in Europe and the world to appreciate the art of Chinese bamboo carving. I have a lot of contacts with Professor Renault. He is very passionate about Chinese culture and is full of enthusiasm for the exchange of museums between China and Leninism. Many years ago, we agreed to hold cooperation and exchange exhibitions in each other's museums, and today the first step of this wish is about to be realized. At present, the NEW CROWN epidemic is still continuing, and personnel exchanges are hindered, but inter-museum exchanges cannot be stopped. Based on the friendship and trust between the two sides, the bamboo carved cultural relics of the Shanghai Museum will 'fly' over thousands of mountains and rivers to Liechtenstein, building a bridge of friendship for the people of the two places and building a cultural platform for mutual learning and mutual learning. ”
Exhibition site
This exhibition selects 60 pieces of Chinese bamboo carving from the shanghai museum's outstanding collection of one million pieces, from the first half of the 17th century to the middle of the 20th century, to introduce the historical achievements, artistic characteristics and craft characteristics of Chinese bamboo carving art, and to guide the audience to intuitively contact the art world composed of traditional Chinese crafts and Jiangnan literati aesthetics through bamboo carving, a handicraft with Chinese national characteristics.
Shanghai Museum Collection of Zhou Hao Bamboo Carvings Songyuan Yunquan Figure Bamboo Pen Holder (not in this exhibit)
Shanghai Museum Collection of Zhou Hao Bamboo Carvings Bamboo Stone Hanquan Picture Pen Holder (not in this exhibit)
Bamboo carving is a special category in Chinese arts and crafts, and it is also a unique carving art in China, with unique craft techniques, unique aesthetic tastes and independent cultural character. Bamboo has a lofty place in traditional Chinese culture and is often used as a symbol of the virtues possessed by "gentlemen" such as modesty, integrity, and integrity. In Chinese art, countless beautiful works of poetry, painting and music have been born around the expression of bamboo for thousands of years. In many bamboo-producing countries, people will use bamboo as a material for craft creation in production and life, and will also use it as an object of artistic expression and a carrier of sustenance, but using it as a material to develop into a highly developed carving process is unique to Chinese civilization In this sense, bamboo carving art is the ultimate fruit of the profound Chinese bamboo culture.
"Bamboo Skeleton Wenxin - Bamboo Carving Art Special Exhibition" Exhibit Zhu Zhizheng Bamboo Carving Gao Shi Tu Pen Holder
Shanghai Museum Collection of Gold West Bamboo Carvings Liu Qing Yang Wen Jincheng Painting Plum Window Figure Bamboo Pen Holder (not in this exhibit)
Shanghai Museum Collection of Gold West Bamboo Carvings Liu Qingyang Wenjincheng Painting Mushroom Diagram Bamboo Pen Holder (not in this exhibit)
Shanghai has a close connection with bamboo carving art: the Jiading school, which began in the late Ming Dynasty, is the longest and largest school of carving art in history, and has now been listed as a national intangible cultural heritage; the Haipai bamboo carving formed in modern times is the last peak in the history of bamboo carving art. The Shanghai Museum is one of the most important units in the collection of bamboo carvings in China.
The Shanghai Museum has a large number of bamboo carving collections, attaches great importance to the combing of bamboo carving art, and has held many special exhibitions of bamboo carving, including "Bamboo Carving Wenxin - Bamboo Carving Art Special Exhibition", "Bamboo Su Liufang - Zhou Hao Art Special Exhibition", "Jinshi Yundang - Jin XiJia Bamboo Carving Art Special Exhibition" in 2012, 2016 and 2019 respectively.
At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, Dr. Zhao Qinghua, Consul General of the People's Republic of China in Zurich and the Principality of Liechtenstein, delivered an opening speech. Professor Yang Zhigang, Director of Shanghai Museum, made a video keynote speech.
Banners for the exhibition outside the Liezhi National Expo
The scene of the opening ceremony
Exhibition catalogue
(This article is a comprehensive compilation of previous reports by Self-Column Culture and The Paper)