Emergence of the Patriarch: The Mao Xuhui Story

Charting the life and work of an iconic figure in contemporary Chinese art and a leader of the Southwest Art Research Association

Authored by the distinguished critic and art historian Lü Peng, Emergence of the Patriarch is a fascinating biography and in-depth exploration of the life and artistic journey of Mao Xuhui (born 1956), a pivotal figure in Chinese contemporary art and one of the key figures within the influential Southwest Art Research Association, a mid-1980s organization of artists from Yunnan and Sichuan who reacted against the sentimental beauty of Native Soil Painting. Stating that art should move souls rather than eyes, they ditched representation of generic figures in favor of depicting personal experience. This luxuriously illustrated volume traces Mao Xuhui's ideological and artistic maturation and reconstructs this journey through the artist's personal documents and materials, including diaries, letters, paintings, reading notes and transcripts. The result is a profound and authentic portrayal, narrating the history and the illustrious years of a remarkable generation.