Michael Sullivan: A Life of Art and Friendship
(from 11th Mar until 14th Sep 2014)A commemorative exhibition in memory of Michael Sullivan, leading scholar of Chinese art.
Chrysanthemums by a bamboo fence (LI2022.20)
Old plum-branch with young shoots (LI2022.72)
Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong (LI2022.69)
Calligraphy couplet featuring dragon and tiger (LI2022.366)
Landscape with clouds and trees (LI2022.344)
Blue and black abstract landscape (LI2022.74)
Snowy Mountains (LI2022.62)
River landscape (LI2022.400)
Letter to Khoan Sullivan (LI2022.37)
Village in South China (LI2022.54)
Lotus (LI2022.115)
Wuxi and Lake Tai (LI2022.58)
Letter from Fu Baoshi to Geoffrey Hedley
25th January 1948
Fu Baoshi (1904-1965) is one of the leading traditional ink painters of the 20th century China. Though both in west China during the war, Michael Sullivan and Fu never met. Their connections were through a mutual friend, Geoffrey Hedley (died 1958), who was a British Council official and had contacts with many artists in China during the 1940s. Hedley had provided enormous help to Michael when he began his research in to modern Chinese art, by gathering information and images for him. In this letter, Fu Baoshi provided Hedley with the sizes, medium, and titles of seven paintings of his, which Michael wished to include in his book on modern Chinese paintings. He wrote, “What an honour it is to have your friend (M. Sullivan) who is writing ‘modern Chinese Paintings’ to adopt my work!”
Letter from Fu Baoshi.
Letter from Fu Baoshi.
Fu Baoshi translated letter.
Fu Baoshi translated letter.
Letter circulated by Pang Xunqin to artists
1947
Michael started preparing a book on 20th century Chinese art after his sojourn in west China in the 1940s. Unfortunately all his research notes gathered in China were lost on a train in England. Pang Xunqin (1906-1985) then went to enormous trouble to provide him with essential information on the history of modern Chinese art by soliciting his friends’ help. This letter is the one that Pang wrote to and circulated among his friends encouraging them to collect artworks for Michael.
Notice
Objects from past exhibitions may have now returned to our stores or a lender. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so please contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.
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