A Visit to a Private Home to view a Special Collection

7pm, Wednesday, 24 Feb 2016
Venue to be Advised

Gretchen Liu on Pioneer Artist Liu Kang

SEACS council member Gretchen Liu, the daughter-in-law of pioneer artist Liu Kang, hosted members at her home and shared her research into Liu Kang’s formative years.

Liu Kang (1911-2004) belonged to a generation of artists who came of age at a time of crisis and upheaval in China. Born in Fujian and raised in Johore, he arrived in Shanghai in 1925.

In 1937, as Shanghai fell to the Japanese, he left for Malaya. Post-war he moved with his young family to Singapore. He was one of the founders of the “Nanyang Style” in the 1950s and continued to paint, teach, write and contribute to the burgeoning art scene throughout his life.

Since the 1980s there has been a resurgence of interest in the art and artists of the 1920s-30s.
Gretchen’s talk drew on Liu Kang’s photographs, letters and paintings, telling his story against the larger backdrop of the cultural and social history of Shanghai.

This was a private event open to SEACS members only.