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Commemorating the 550th Birth Year of WenZhengming and his Era

  • Image of "The Thousand-Character Classic in Cursive Script (detail), By Wen Zhengming, Ming dynasty, 1545 		Gift of Mr. Aoyama San'u"

    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.

 Major works in this exhibition
* Works listed below are in the TNM Collection unless otherwise indicated.
 Major works in this exhibition
* Works listed below are in the TNM Collection unless otherwise indicated.
The Thousand-Character Classic in Cursive Script, By Wen Zhengming, Ming dynasty, 1545 (Gift of Mr. Aoyama San'u)
Four Infinite Landscapes, By Wen Boren, Ming dynasty, 1551 (Important Cultural Property, On exhibit from February 4, 2020)
Mountain Retreat in Early Summer, By Ju Jie, Ming dynasty, dated 1578 (On exhibit through February 2, 2020)
Landscape, By Wen Zhengming, Ming dynasty, 15th–16th century (Private collection)
Poem in Running Script, By Wen Zhengming, Ming dynasty, 1538 (Private collection)
Poems in Standard Script, By Wen Zhengming, Ming dynasty, 1552 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)
The Former and Latter Northern Expeditions in Standard Script, By Zhu Yunming, Ming dynasty, 1514 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)
The Thousand-Character Classic in Running and Cursive Scripts, By Chen Chun, Ming dynasty, 1535 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)
Poems in Cursive Script, By Wang Cong, Ming dynasty, 1529 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)

Related Exhibition

   Commemorating the 550th Birth Year of Wen Zhengming and his Era Calligraphy Museum  January 4, 2020 (Sta) - March 1, 2020 (Sun)

Related Events

<Lectures>   Wen Zhengming and His Era
Japanese Archaeology and Special Exhibition (Heiseikan) Auditorium  February 8, 2020 (Sat)   13:30 - 15:00   RESERVE_DAY
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8  February 4, 2020 (Tue)   14:00 - 14:30   RESERVE_DAY