Hosted by: Xuzhou Museum

Exhibition time:

April 28 to June 2, 2019

Venue:

Deng Yongqing collection of painting and calligraphy on the first floor of Xuzhou Museum

Producer: Li Xiaojun

Exhibition coordinator: Yuan Feng

Curator: Yue Kai

Exhibition design: Wu Jiaxuan, Yu Ming

Exhibit selection: Hu mengxiang

Social education: Dong Xinhui, Hu Yue

Preface

      Mr. Deng Yongqing (1920-1998), born in Tongshan, Jiangsu Province, is an old soldier of the New Fourth Army and former Vice Minister of the Ministry of six machinery of the people's Republic of China.

      In Deng's words, "I have done two things in my life: first, I participated in the revolution; second, I collected and preserved these ancient paintings and calligraphy works." In his spare time, because of his love for ancient calligraphy and painting, Mr. Deng was thrifty in clothing and food, collecting a large number of art treasures mainly in Ming and Qing Dynasty calligraphy and painting, once known as one of the top ten calligraphy and painting collectors in Beijing. In the 1990s, Mr. Deng Yongqing and his wife, Ms. Jiang Hengzhen, donated more than 280 pieces of his life-long works to his hometown Xuzhou. It can be called the treasure of Xuzhou Museum in terms of painting and calligraphy, which makes up for the weakness of the museum's painting and calligraphy collection, and plays a very important role in cultivating more art talents in the "hometown of painting and calligraphy".
      Deng's collection is mainly composed of the authentic works of famous painters of Ming and Qing Dynasties, including the works of calligraphers and painters of the late Ming Dynasty, the "Yangzhou Painting School" of Qing Dynasty and some calligraphers and painters who used to be called "Lengmentou". Among them, there are many national first-class cultural relics, such as Zhu Da, Jin Nong, Gao Fenghan, and Yuan Yao.  Although not many modern collections, there are all treasures of famous artists such as Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong, Zhang Daqian and Xu Beihong.
      Mr. Deng Yongqing is selfless and cares about his hometown. The people's Government of Xuzhou city built a "Deng Yongqing collection of calligraphy and painting Museum" in 1993 for Mr. Deng's merits. After the completion of the new museum in 1999, the museum was placed in a prominent position on the right side of the hall on the first floor. In 2016, the display and upgrading of Deng Yongqing collection of calligraphy and painting museum was completed. The new exhibition facilities and the advanced constant temperature and humidity system provided a more superior environment for displaying this rich cultural heritage.
      Mr. Deng has donated calligraphy and painting collections to his hometown for more than 20 years. When the main exhibition building was reopened, more than 60 collections were selected for Mr. Deng's merits.