Curating an Exhibition for the “Grandfather”

Lin Shuchuan

Deputy Curator of the Art Museum of Nanjing University of the Arts (AMNUA)

Lin Shuchuan

Today is a special day, and this is also a special exhibition curated by me. I have known Professor Zhang Shaoxia not long ago. In the past, I only saw him and his writings in books. Today and yesterday, during the exhibition installation, some professors at school, who are my teachers, came to see Professor Zhang's works and paintings, saying, "I grew up reading these books." I felt particularly nervous after hearing these words because I am organizing an exhibition for my "grandfather." I sincerely thank Professor Zhang for allowing me and the curatorial team of AMNUA to curate this exhibition. In President Liu's article, I saw that Professor Zhang Shaoxia is a senior figure at NUA who has made significant contributions to the development of our discipline, such as the compilation of textbooks on European art history. We are still benefiting from these achievements to this day.

Today, as a curator, I would like to introduce this exhibition. This exhibition consists of 40 landscapes by Professor Zhang in recent years, inspired by his life as an avid golfer. Professor Zhang created these works while playing golf worldwide, with the total number reaching four or five hundred. The works displayed in this exhibition are selected from this extensive collection. We use three precious display cases in this exhibition to showcase Professor Zhang's writings and related manuscripts since the 1980s, demonstrating the rigorous academic process of older-generation art historians and some lessons that younger generations of art historians and curators can learn.

Putting together this exhibition took work. Again, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the hardworking AMNUA team and other staff members who contributed to it. Thank you all for being here.

Same Stage Competition (Forest of Arden Marriott Hotel & Country Club) 120×65cm Oil on Dew-retting Linen Canva 2021

Feeling of Looking Down (Cypress Point Club) 120×65cm Oil on Dew-retting Linen Canvas 2024

(Transcribed from video recording)