The Shanghai Museum holds a number of national treasures, and make sure to check out China's provincial museums as well.
Pan Tianshou, Red Lotus
With Red Lotus, Pan emphasizes the relationship between ink painting and Chinese identity in the modern era.
Dong Xiwen, The Founding of the Nation
Founding the Nation marks the rapid transformation of mainstream art into propaganda during the Mao era.
Hu Yichuan, To the Front!
To the Front! is a widely circulated print that sought to denounce the inaction of those in power.
Xu Beihong, Tian Heng and His Five Hundred Followers
In this captivating oil painting, Xu Beihong recounts an ancient legend that pictures the heroic 3rd-century B.C.E. prince Tian Heng at a pivotal moment.
Gao Jianfu, Flying in the Rain
In Flying in the Rain, Gao Jianfu pictured a squadron of biplanes emerging from cloudy skies in loose formation.
Hua Yan, Pheasant, Bamboo and Chrysanthemum
Color and brushwork create a golden pheasant in this Qing dynasty hanging scroll
Wang Shimin, Cloud Capped Mountains and Misty Riverside
Wang Shimin reimagines the past in this Qing dynasty landscape
Zhao Zhiqian, Flowers Album
Peonies, plum blossoms, radishes, and cabbages are all depicted in these calligraphic ink paintings
Wang Shishen, Garden scene album leaves
These garden scenes are examples of how professional artists in Qing-dynasty China made a living
Ren Xiong, Self-Portrait
Ren Xiong's captivating self-portrait tells us a great deal about the principles of Chinese painting, the roles of self-portraiture and portraiture, and the canon of Chinese art.
Miniature furniture and figurines in a Ming tomb
Mini furniture and figurines give us a tiny look into Ming dynasty life
The search for immortality: The Tomb of Lady Dai
Upon its discovery, Lady Dai’s tomb was in a remarkable state of preservation with wooden objects and silks in near perfect condition, as though immune to the ravages of time
