Wuming Painting Collective

The Wuming Painting Collective (also translated as No Name Painting Association or Anonymous Painting Group, simplified Chinese: 无名画会; traditional Chinese: 無名畫會) was a counter-culture Chinese art collective and movement formed in 1969.[1] Based in Beijing and comprising some 13 male and female artists between the ages of 16 and 30, the collective was characterized by its depictions of idyllic landscapes and plein air approach of painting in public parks. The group is considered the first self organized art collective of the Cultural Revolution.[2] At a time when Chinese art in the Mao period, particularly during the Cultural Revolution, turned into pure political propaganda, and normal artistic practice was forbidden both in institutional settings and for individual artists, the Wuming staged their own rebellion by painting non-political subjects on small, easily concealed sheets of paper or cardboard, and shown only to the most trusted of friends. The Wuming had their first clandestine private exhibition in 1974 in artist Zhang Wei's Beijing apartment. In 1979, they staged the first public exhibition of unofficial art in China in Beihai Park.

Not to be confused with the group of Italian authors.

Though the group lacked formal leadership, early members Zhao Wenliang (b. 1937, Chinese: 赵文量) and Yang Yushu (b.1944, Chinese: 杨雨澍) provided the Wuming with significant guidance and direction.[1]

While the majority of the collective's artwork featured apolitical subject matter (including landscapes and natural scenes), modern artistic commentaries stress the group's lack of support for the Cultural Revolution and independent, clandestine formation as evidence for its reactionary and subversive nature.[3][4] The Wuming focus on idyllic scenery despite the ongoing political turmoil of the time has been labeled "antirealist" by some art historians.[2]

The group's first exhibit outside of China was 2011's Blooming In the Shadows at New York's China Institute.[5] During the exhibit, members of the Wuming staged a paint-in in New York's Central Park, painting al fresco much as they had during the Cultural Revolution.

A documentary about the Wuming, The No Name Painting Association, was produced in 2013, with narration by Jane Alexander, Lucy Liu and B.D. Wong.[6]

Notable Members

Contemporary Exhibitions
  • 2006 No Name Group Retrospective, TRA Gallery (Gao Minglu), Beijing and Shanghai[7]
  • 2011 Blooming In the Shadows: Unofficial Chinese Art 1974-1985, China Institute, New York.[8]
  • 2013 Light Before Dawn: Unofficial Chinese Art 1974–1985, Asia Society, Hong Kong [9]
  • 2014 The Un-Officials | Art Before 85 Boers Li Gallery, Beijing[10]
  • 2018 Crescent: Retrospectives of Zhao Wenliang and Yang Yushu Beijing Inside-Out Art Museum, Beijing

See also

References
  1. Davide., Quadrio (2012). Negotiating Difference : Chinese contemporary Art in the Global Context. Verlag und Datenbank für Geisteswissenschaften - VDG Weimar. ISBN 9783958994607. OCLC 911246713.
  2. "Total modernity and the avant-garde in twentieth-century Chinese art". Choice Reviews Online. 49 (3): 49–1251–49–1251. 2011-11-01. doi:10.5860/choice.49-1251. hdl:2027/heb.32153. ISSN 0009-4978.
  3. rene balcer, The No Name Painting Association, retrieved 2018-12-12
  4. Aihe, Wang (2009-12-10). "Wuming: an underground art group during the Cultural Revolution". Journal of Modern Chinese History. 3 (2): 183–199. doi:10.1080/17535650903345387. ISSN 1753-5654. S2CID 144002673.
  5. "Blooming in the shadows: Unofficial Chinese Art 1974-1985" (PDF).
  6. "The No Name Painting Association". 2013.
  7. "The "No Name" Group Retrospective (Beijing) | exhibition | ARTLINKART | Chinese contemporary art database". www.artlinkart.com. Retrieved 2018-12-12.
  8. "Blooming in the Shadows: Unofficial Chinese Art 1974-1985" (PDF).
  9. ""Light Before Dawn: Unofficial Chinese Art 1974–1985" at Asia Society Hong Kong Center". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2018-12-12.
  10. ""The Un-Officials | Art Before 85" | Art Agenda". Retrieved 2018-12-12.
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