Reaching new heights with both its influential style and its staggering auction prices, the work of Qi Baishi (Chinese, 1864–1957) remains an inspiration to audiences worldwide. Blending expertly minimal brushwork with passages of abstraction, Qi changed the course of traditional Chinese painting. His ink paintings capture everyday scenes and familiar moments, evoking the essential beauty of nature and the joy of life’s simple pleasures.
In 1960, the de Young Museum presented a solo exhibition of Qi Baishi’s art in San Francisco, a recognition no other Chinese artist had previously achieved in the U.S. More recently, his paintings have set multimillion-dollar records as the most expensive Chinese artworks ever sold at auction. But throughout his lifetime, Qi maintained a down-to-earth sensibility rooted in his humble origins as a peasant carpenter — even as he rose to international prominence.
In addition to 40 memorable works on paper, Qi Baishi: Inspiration in Ink features interactive experiences and a display of correspondence from the artist to his patrons. These handwritten letters offer an intimate, personal view of the unassuming man whose innovative style ushered Chinese ink painting into the modern era.
“Qi Baishi’s long and storied life witnessed China’s dramatic passage from the Qing Dynasty to the new republic period and the rise of socialism,” says Fan Jeremy Zhang, Barbara and Gerson Bakar Curator of Chinese Art. “Renowned as the people’s artist, Qi declined to enjoy retirement; instead, he tirelessly explored ink art in his later years, aiming to share his love of nature among a wide audience and help them find enlightenment in everyday life.”
Traveling to the Asian Art Museum from the Beijing Fine Art Academy on the 160th anniversary of the artist’s birth, Qi Baishi: Inspiration in Ink provides a closer look at this important figure in the history of art.
