PRINTCatalogue Note:
Since 1960, Liu Kuo-sung’s works have found their way into at least 87 museums around the world, including the British Museum, which in 2010 added the artist’s work “Sun and Moon: Floating? Sinking?” (part of the painter’s “Space” series) to its collection, a deal brokered by London’s Michael Goedhuis Gallery. This was more than a confirmation of Liu’s individual status as an artist, it also showed that major Western museums and galleries were beginning to give modernist ink and wash painting a larger role in their exhibitions and collections. While Liu’s success, like that of many artists, was to some extent the result of the generous support he received from friends and connoisseurs who appreciated his art, his outstanding talent, untiring efforts, and the ability to take opportunities when they presented themselves, all contributed to his brilliant career.
An overview of Liu Kuo-sung’s oeuvre reveals him as an artist in constant search of variety and new styles. One of his famous quotations is, “Originality first, quality second.” From 1951-1955, still a student, he basically painted in a realistic style, but beginning in 1958, Liu started to switch to abstract modes of composition, and developed his own individual creative approach. Around 1963 the next phase followed, marked by broad, sweeping brushstrokes and calligraphically-inspired lines. In this period fall the “Which is Outside” series, born of his explorations of nature and the universe, the “Snow Mountain” series from 1968, inspired by the grandiose landscapes Liu had seen in Switzerland, and the “Space” series, which took its cue from the Apollo missions and the first landing of human beings on the moon (1969-1973). Other series that give full expression to the artist’s creativity and confidence, brimming with magnificent images and dynamic energy, include the “Water Rubbing” series (1973), the “Four Seasons Handscroll” (1983), the “Tibetan Suite” series (since 1987), and the “Jiuzhaigou” series (since 2000).
Liu Kuo-sung has previously been given both Taiwan’s most prestigious arts award, the National Arts Award, and China’s most important distinction, the Chinese Artist Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, the works of Liu Kuo-sung have become coveted items in art markets of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and sales numbers have been consistently high. In fact, in terms of the prices paid for works by Liu at auction, more than half of the highest records were set during the recent year, and value of his works is most likely to be in the uptrend in the future.
An overview of Liu Kuo-sung’s oeuvre reveals him as an artist in constant search of variety and new styles. One of his famous quotations is, “Originality first, quality second.” From 1951-1955, still a student, he basically painted in a realistic style, but beginning in 1958, Liu started to switch to abstract modes of composition, and developed his own individual creative approach. Around 1963 the next phase followed, marked by broad, sweeping brushstrokes and calligraphically-inspired lines. In this period fall the “Which is Outside” series, born of his explorations of nature and the universe, the “Snow Mountain” series from 1968, inspired by the grandiose landscapes Liu had seen in Switzerland, and the “Space” series, which took its cue from the Apollo missions and the first landing of human beings on the moon (1969-1973). Other series that give full expression to the artist’s creativity and confidence, brimming with magnificent images and dynamic energy, include the “Water Rubbing” series (1973), the “Four Seasons Handscroll” (1983), the “Tibetan Suite” series (since 1987), and the “Jiuzhaigou” series (since 2000).
Liu Kuo-sung has previously been given both Taiwan’s most prestigious arts award, the National Arts Award, and China’s most important distinction, the Chinese Artist Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, the works of Liu Kuo-sung have become coveted items in art markets of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and sales numbers have been consistently high. In fact, in terms of the prices paid for works by Liu at auction, more than half of the highest records were set during the recent year, and value of his works is most likely to be in the uptrend in the future.