The Life of a Patron: Zhou Lianggong (1612-1672) and the Painters of Seventeenth-Century China
鉴藏家的一生：周亮工与17世纪的中国画家

Zhou Lianggong (1612–1672) was an art collector and patron of singular energy and passion. He amassed an immense “private museum” comprised of hundreds of works by some of the most famous painters of his day, including works by unsung masters and minor artists whose careers Zhou almost single-handedly supported. His close friendship with leading artists of the era, and considerable efforts as a biographer and connoisseur of contemporary art, provided a rich view of the milieu in which seventeenth-century Chinese artists lived and worked. During this period, the native Ming dynasty (1368–1644) was defeated by the Manchu invasion, which threatened to disrupt existing Chinese culture and its foundations. This exhibition examined the role of patronage as an essential catalyst in the creation of Chinese art, particularly during times of instability. Moreover, the exhibition looked at the life, collection, and writings of Zhou Lianggong during this transformative era. Nearly eighty works were featured, including paintings, calligraphies, handscrolls, hanging scrolls, and album leaves, as well as text drawn from Zhou’s magnum opus.