Commemorating the 550th Birth Year of Wen Zhengming and his Era
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The Thousand-Character Classic in Cursive Script (detail), By Wen Zhengming, Ming dynasty, 1545 Gift of Mr. Aoyama San'u
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
January 2, 2020 (Thu) - March 1, 2020 (Sun)Wen Zhengming (1470–1559) was a prominent painter and calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). He was born in Suzhou and became one of the leading members of the Wu School, a group of scholars who viewed their artworks as vehicles for personal expression. Wen initially was a poor calligrapher, who failed the imperial examinations on multiple occasions. However, he tirelessly pursued both art and scholarship, and his talents eventually blossomed. His refined painting and calligraphy rooted in the classics gained many followers in his lifetime, and exerted a tremendous influence on later generations. In this exhibition we are commemorating Wen’s 550th birthday with his painting and calligraphy.