Cui Zifan
1915-2011, Shandong China
Introduction
Cui Zifan is a well-known Chinese ink painter recognized for his spontaneous style and versatility, reminiscent of Qi Baishi (the most influential ink painter in the history of Contemporary Chinese art). Lars Berglund, former curator at the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities in Stockholm first introduced the director of Alisan Fine Arts to Cui in 1991 while the artist had a solo exhibition in Macau. Alisan Fine Arts then held a solo exhibition for Cui in 1992, for which Prof Berglund wrote an essay in the accompanying catalogue stating that Cui “has succeeded so well in cultivating his clumsiness that his style of painting has been called refined clumsiness (hou zhuo).”
From an early age, Cui developed an interest in painting but never had the opportunity to formally study art. Although his family lacked the means to buy brushes, paper, and other art supplies, Cui was not deterred. He would practice his art and calligraphy on a table, substituting ink with limewash. His paintings have a natural and deliberate naïveté that make the compositions look deceptively simplistic, achieving the effect of “disciplined abandonment.”
In adulthood, Cui struggled to find time to paint due to his many public posts. It was not until 1951, under the influence of his friend and advisor Qi Baishi, that Cui carved out the time to dedicate to his craft. From 1956, Cui held several official posts, first as Secretary-General of the Beijing Academy of Chinese Painting, then as its Vice-President. He was also a council member of the Beijing Branch of the Union of Chinese Artists and Honorary President of the Research Association of Bird and Flower Painting in Beijing. In 1979 he was a consultant to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture. In 1994 the Cui Zifan Museum was established in Qingdao. His works have been exhibited in numerous countries and collected by the National Art Museum of China, Beijing; Fine Art Museum of Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Painting, Beijing; Beijing Art Academy, Beijing; Shandong Museum, Jinan; Tianjin Art Museum, Tianjin; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and other national museums in America, Canada and Sweden.
BIOGRAPHY
1915 Born in 1915 in Laiyang, Shandong Province, China
1935 Studied under Zhang Zi Lian, a disciple of Wu Changshuo
1937 Participated in the resistance army against the Japanese Empire
1951 Appointed to various government posts, and unable to fully devote himself to painting until 1951, with the encouragement of Qi Baishi
1956 Held several official posts, first as Secretary-General of the Beijing Academy of Chinese Painting, then as its Vice-President
Council member of the Beijing Branch of the Union of Chinese Artists and Honorary President of the Research Association of Bird and Flower Painting in Beijing
1979 Consultant to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture
1981 Received the First Prize of Beijing Art Award
1987 Shandong TV station's production of Cui Zifan in his hometown was shot
1994 The Cui Zifan Museum was established in Qingdao
2011 Cui passed away in 2011
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2001
- Donation of Cui Zifan, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
- A Selection of Paintings by Cui Zifan; A Contemporary Master of the People's Republic of China, Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, USA
1992
1991
- Solo Exhibition, Macau
1987
- Solo Exhibition: A Collection of Lars Berglund, Denmark; Sweden
1986
- Solo Exhibition, Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Painting, Beijing, China
1985
- Exhibition in Shandong Province and Qingdao City, China
- Beihai Park, Beijing, China
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2023
2018
2013
- Bonds of Memory: Wan Qingli’s Collection of Chinese Art Given by His Teachers and Friends, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong
- The Asian Collections, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia
- Between Two Cultures: A Selection of Nineteenth and Twentieth-Century Chinese Paintings from the Robert H. Ellsworth Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
- International Asian Art Fair, Alisan Fine Arts, The Seventh Regiment Armory, New York, USA
- Tresors, Alisan Fine Arts, World Trade Centre, Singapore
- Style and Expressionism: Modern Chinese Painting, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, USA
- Contemporary Chinese Paintings, Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, USA
- Contemporary Chinese Painting, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australia
- Cui Zifan, Lu Guangzhao, Qin Lingyun 3-Man Group Exhibition, Changchun, Harbin, China
- Welcoming Spring Travelling Exhibition, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Sichuan, China
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA
National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China
National Museum of China, Beijing, China
Fine Art Museum of Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Painting, Beijing, China
China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, China
Beijing Art Academy, Beijing, China
Tianjin Art Museum, Tianjin, China
Shangdong Museum, Jinan, China
