In the lineage of the "C.C. Wang: Lines of Abstraction" exhibition, which initially debuted at Hunter College Art Galleries, the collection now travels to the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, tracing the legacy of the renowned artist, collector, and connoisseur C.C. Wang. This exhibition runs from September 16 to December 31, 2023, shedding light on Wang's remarkable career, which aimed to fuse tradition and innovation in the global twentieth century.
Installation View, Image from KIA©Colleen Woolpert
Born into a family of scholar-officials at the end of the Qing dynasty, C.C. Wang (Wang Jiqian 王己千, 1907–2003) mastered traditional ink and brush techniques in Republican Shanghai. He immigrated to New York City in 1949, where he sought to preserve the tradition of classical Chinese painting through engagement with new ideas, materials, and forms. Drawing inspiration from past masters in the history of Chinese painting, as well as New York's artistic climate in the wake of World War II, Wang advanced groundbreaking transformations in ink painting.
Installation View, Image from KIA©Colleen Woolpert
Held twenty years after the artist's passing, "C.C. Wang: Lines of Abstraction" re-centers Wang's extraordinary career on his own artistic practice, revealing his unique quest for tradition and innovation in the global twentieth century. Spanning seven decades, the exhibition focuses on the artist's distinctive synthesis of Chinese ink painting and American postwar abstraction.
Installation View, Image from KIA©Colleen Woolpert
The exhibition is organized by Hunter College Art Galleries and was curated by Wen-shing Chou and Daniel M. Greenberg, with Hans Hofmann Graduate Curatorial Fellow Margaret Liu Clinton.
