Liu Qinghe

Generally acknowledged as a contemporary master of ink and wash painting, Liu Qinghe is renowned for challenging the boundaries of this traditional medium to portray today's realities. The bulk of his figurative works over the years depicts everyday people, his family, his friends, and those he has imaged. All of his figures are placed in urban backdrops, engaged in contemporary relationships and fixed in modern-day ideological crisis. Their feelings of insecurity, confusion, dejection, lethargy and helplessness are apparent in his portraiture of a diverse collection of real life characters and situations.

Liu Qinghe graduated from the Tianjin School of Arts and Crafts in 1981.Afterwards he earned his Bachelor degree from the Folk Art Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in 1987 and his Master’s Degree from the Chinese Painting Dept, CAFA in 1989. In 1992, Liu served a residency at the Royal Academy of Fine Art (RAFA) studio in Madrid, Spain. Now he serves as Assistant Professor in the Chinese Painting Dept of CAFA while lives and works in Beijing.

Liu Qinghe has won the Second Prize at the 1985 Academy Show at CAFA. In 1994, he was awarded the Gold Prize of the Beijing Exhibition at the 8th National Fine Arts Exhibition, NAGC. Liu is represented by Red Gate Gallery in Beijing and Goedhuis Contemporary in New York. He has his works exhibited in many museums and galleries home and abroad while his works are collected by the Embassy of Australia, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, National Art Museum in Beijing, and Shanghai Art Museum, etc.

Biography of Liu Qinghe

1961 Born in Tianjin City

1981 Graduated from the Tianjin School of Arts and Crafts

1987 Graduated from the Folk Art Department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Beijing

1989 Graduated with a Masters Degree from the Chinese Painting Dept., CAFA

1992 1992 Residency at the Royal Academy of Fine Art (RAFA) studio in Madrid, Spain

Present  Assistant Professor, Chinese Painting Dept., CAFA

Selceted Solo Exhibitions

1993

Liu Qinghe -- Chinese Paintings, RAFA, Madrid, Spain

Liu Qinghe, Sephira Galeria, Madrid Spain

1994

Recent Paintings, Red Gate Gallery

Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing

1996

Guangzhou 'Gate' Salon

Ink and Wash Paintings, Shenzhen Art Museum

1996 Feelings -- Exhibition of Chinese Paintings, Red Gate Gallery

1997 Walk in the Clouds -- Recent Works, Red Gate Gallery

1998 The Shore -- Recent Ink and Wash Painting, Red Gate Gallery

1999 Wind - Night - Exhibition of New Chinese Paintings, Red Gate Gallery

On the Border, The Watchtower -- Contemporary Art, Beijing

2000 The Works of Liu Qinghe, Central Academy of Fine Arts. Beijing

2001 The State of Ink Paintings, Qinghua University Art Department

Liu Qinghe's Studio

Group Exhibitions

1981 2nd National Exhibition of Young Artists, National Art Gallery of China (NAGC)

1985 Academy Show, Chen Lie Hall, CAFA

1988 Four Painters Exhibition, CAFA Gallery

1990 Chinese Painting Exhibition, Sino-Japanese Exchange Centre, Beijing

Chinese Figure Painting Invitational Exhibition, Chinese Painting Research Institute, Beijing

1991 New Generation Art, Chinese Museum of History, Beijing

1992 20th Century - China, NAGC

1993 First National Exhibition of Chinese Painting, NAGC

1994 8th National Fine Arts Exhibition, NAGC

Red Gate Gallery at China Art Expo, Guangzhou

1995 Red Gate Gallery at China Art Expo, Beijing

1996 Red Gate Gallery 5th Anniversary Exhibition

'96 National Exhibition - Trends in Chinese Ink Painting, NAGC

Figurative Chinese Painting Invitational Exhibition, Gallery of International Art Palace, Beijing

1997 Exhibition of Works Featured in the 1994 - 1998 BHP Calendars of Contemporary Chinese Art, Red Gate Gallery

Guangzhou International Invitational Art Fair, Guangzhou

'97 Chinese Contemporary Art Invitational Fair, Shanghai

Exhibition of Works by Famous Contemporary Chinese Artists, Zhuhai

1998 1998 Retake: A Selected Exhibition Reviewing Red Gate Artists' Signature Works curated by Carolyn Fitzpatrick, Red Gate Gallery

1999 Urban Yearnings: Portraits of Contemporary China by Liu Qinghe, Su Xinping and Zhang Yajie, Chinese Culture Center, San Francisco

Chinese Ink Painting of CAFA Teachers, NAGC

Exhibition of Chinese Watercolour Works, Teachers of CAFA, NAGC

Extension of Ink & Wash - Chinese Ink & Wash Portrait Exhibition The Tree of Life, Qingping Gallery, Boston, USA

Urban Yearnings - A Collection of Contemporary Experimental Inkwash Drawings, Guangdong, Shenzhen

1999 Chinese Contemporary Artists Invitational Exhibition, Tianjin Art Museum

1999-2000

"Gate of the Century" 1979 - 1999 Chinese Art Invitational Exhibition, Chinese Contemporary Art Museum, Chengdu

2000

New Chinese Painting Exhibition, Shanghai

Shenzhen Second International Ink and Wash Biennale, Shenzhen

Exhibition of Shanghai Art Museum's Collection, Shanghai

Between the Lines, Mosman Art Gallery, Sydney, Australia

2001

The Distinct Color of Ink, China Contemporary Ink Paintings Invitational Exhibition, China Museum

Extending the Ink, China Contemporary Ink Paintings Invitational Exhibition, China Museum

First National Ink Paintings Invitational Exhibition, Dalian

Clues to the Future: Red Gate Gallery's 10th Anniversary Exhibition, Red Gate Gallery, Beijing

Collections

BHP Company, Australian Embassy, Beijing, Beijing Traditional Chinese Painting Research Institute, Shenzhen Art Museum, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Spain, Sephira Galeria, Spain.

Numerous private collections in Australia, Austria, USA, Israel, France, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Beijing

 Awards

1985 Academy Show, Second Prize, Chen Lie Hall, CAFA

1994 The 8th National Fine Arts Exhibition, Gold Prize of Beijing Exhibition, NAGC

Reviews, Mentions, Interviews and Publications

1994 Facing Human Life - A Discussion on Liu Qinghe's Figurative Ink Painting, Yin Shuangxi, Chinese Painting, No. 2,

Out of Chinese Painting, Yi Ying, Beijing Youth Daily and Journal of Chinese Painting Research, July

The Chinese Painting of Liu Qinghe, Qian Zhijian, The Peoples' Daily, July

1995 BHP Calendar of Contemporary Chinese Art

Report From Beijing, Susan Dewar, Orientations, May

The Language of Liu Qinghe's Chinese Painting, Pi Li, Gallery

1997 BHP Calendar of Contemporary Chinese Art

'97 the Voice of Chinese Painting Exhibition Catalogue

Guangzhou International Invitational Art Fair Catalogue

1998 BHP Calendar of Contemporary Chinese Art

Exhibition Commentary - Sun Shower, ART AsiaPacific, Issue 1, 1998

CNN Arts Club Interview

Washington Post Interview

Blending Tradition and Contemporary, Nicky Combs, Asian Art News, July/August, p. 76

Made in China, Britta Eriksen, LIMN, Issue 2, 1998

1999 BHP Calendar of Contemporary Chinese Art

Chinese Ink Paintings of Liu Qinghe, Hebei Educational Press

Dialogue with Yu Ding, Hunan Fine Art Press

Interviews with Famous Artists, (Chinese Painting Section), Hunan Fine Art Press

Embracing Modernity, Artist Magazine

2001 Fan Di'an, The Distinct Color of Ink, Exhibition Catalogue

Yi Ying, From Light Rain to Shooting Stars, Interview with Liu Qinghe on His Art