Tu Hongtao
Tu Hongtao
Born in Chengdu, China, in 1976, Tu Hongtao was admitted to the affiliated high school of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute in 1991. He later graduated with a specialization in oil painting from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou in 1999. Completing his formal education on the eve of the millennium, the artist began his career during an era of swift transformation in his country—one that signaled the end of its collective economy and the rise of the market economy and globalization.
After art school, Tu was briefly employed in the textile industry in southern China. In 2001, he returned to Chengdu to focus on painting. Observing the rapid social and environmental changes in his hometown, he began to compose sardonic cityscapes featuring piles of human bodies and dolls that reflect contemporary feelings of confusion, tension, and desire. In addition to manifesting the anxieties of Tu’s generation, these early canvases established his ongoing engagement with cross-cultural histories of landscape painting. He continued with the Snow Forest series from 2006 to 2008, using the density of these landscapes as “both an abstract background and a real space,” in his words.
From 2008 to 2010, Tu reoriented his painting practice, veering further from his earlier Neo-Pop trajectory. Having studied calligraphy as well as both Eastern and Western painting traditions, Tu turned to Zhao Mengfu’s (1254–1322) theory of “applying calligraphy to painting” (yi shu ru hua, 以书入画)—a pivotal development that shifted the direction of traditional painting in the Yuan Dynasty. Observing the abstract spirit of Chinese literati painting, Tu both examined the organically evolving relationship between image and formal technique and challenged the aesthetics of Western painting to which he was accustomed.
Tu frequently visited the mountainous Bifeng Valley in Ya’an, Sichuan, for inspiration during this period, adopting recurring motifs from the surrounding terrain. In the resulting works, Tu focused on the physicality of his brushstrokes and the “spirit of the ink” that generally permeates paper, incorporating the importance of “writing” a composition in lieu of merely illustrating an image. The formal qualities of Tu’s picture plane evoke those of Qing Dynasty painters Shitao (Zhu Ruoji, 1642–1707) and Gong Xian (1619–1689). His paintings have gradually metamorphosed from incorporating a mimetic Western three-dimensional space to suggesting an illusionistic “inward psyche” that blurs reality and imagination.
Since 2010, Tu has presented increasingly complex compositions that repeatedly layer a single landscape, poetically rearranging the temporal expectations embedded in such a scene. Tu’s alma mater, the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, has played an indispensable role in the history of modern Chinese art, nurturing figures such as Lin Fengmian (1900–1991) and Wu Dayu (1903–1988), pioneers of modern Chinese painting who integrated Chinese and Western styles, as well as Zao Wou-ki (1920–2013), Chu Teh-Chun (1920–2014), and other second-generation Chinese artists in Paris, whose experiments in abstraction furthered the course initiated by Lin and Wu. Informed by this rich art-historical legacy, Tu’s imagery interrupts linear narratives and employs an expansive use of space in the context of Eastern and Western visual traditions, embodying a contemporary abstract lyricism all his own.
Selected Works
Video
"Tu Hongtao: Twisting and Turning" | 22 Old Bond Street, Lévy Gorvy London 2020
October 21, 2020
Exhibitions
Tu Hongtao
"No Line on the Horizon"
Palm Beach
November 20 - December 5, 2021
Tu HongtaoTu Hongtao: Drunken Forest
Palm Beach
February 9 - 28, 2021
Tu HongtaoEternal Seasons: Part II 春華秋實：第二篇章
Hong Kong
April 28 - May 31, 2021
Tu HongtaoTu Hongtao: Twisting and Turning
London
October 2 - November 24, 2020
Tu HongtaoTu Hongtao
Hong Kong
March 25 - June 23, 2020
Tu HongtaoReturn to Nature (Zao Xue Han Zhang)
Hong Kong
March 26 - May 18, 2019
Museum Exhibitions
Selected Press
Architectural Digest China | 今年西岸艺术与设计博览会，一同期待博物馆收藏级作品！
November 1, 2021
独家代理屠宏涛的厉蔚阁画廊（Lévy Gorvy）成立时间不长，今年首次在西岸亮相。但厉蔚阁的势头尤其强劲，在纽约、伦敦、香港、棕榈泉均设有空间。画廊的数位合伙人拥有资深拍卖行背景，眼光“毒辣”、二级市场资源一流。
National Arts | 国家美术·金星奖丨年度中坚力量：屠宏涛
May 29, 2021
精选的数十件代表性作品横跨两个展厅，囊括多件博物馆馆藏与重要海内外私人收藏，记录艺术家对自身艺术坐标的长期思考。
Hyperallergic | Painting “the Eternity of Time”
December 19, 2020
Tu Hongtao's paintings revisit the traditions of Chinese painting while evading the perils of oversimplification …
Southern People Weekly | 屠宏涛 在画面上撕开一个虫洞
December 18, 2020
屠宏涛的工作室，四壁挂满了未完成的巨幅抽象作品，但是他自己第一个跳出来不答应。“谁说的？我觉得我画的都是很具象的。” …
GalleriesNow | Tu Hongtao: Green Mountains Shall See Me Like This
November 19, 2020
A presentation of Green Mountains Shall See Me Like This (2019), a multi-panel painting that extends …
Rolling Stone | 他是否有望成为下一个“中国最有价值的艺术家” (Is he possibly the next "most valued Chinese Artist"?)
November 16, 2020
On October 2nd, "Tu Hongtao: Twisting and Turning" was exhibited at Lévy Gorvy's London Space, presenting …
The Art Newspaper | London galleries to accommodate collectors ‘by appointment’ during second coronavirus lockdown
November 4, 2020
Some dealers say they will continue to hold private viewings for buyers, while opening hours are extended …
Southern People Weekly | 屠宏涛 在画面上 撕开一个虫洞 (Culture: Interview with Tu Hongtao)
November 1, 2020
他特别爱看科教片，宇航员
到了太空以后，在太空中遥
望地球。“那时候什么‘上北
下南’统统失效了，方位感
根本没了，你在哪里？你
的远和近的关系到底是什
么？你怎么去挪移？你看
到的时空在视觉上到底是
怎么呈现的？我希望我能
从这个层面来理解世界，从
这个层次来调整我的画面，
找到自己今天的感觉”
Harper’s Bazaar Art | 屠宏涛：绘画是场无休止的探究 (Tu Hongtao: Painting is an endless exploration)
November 1, 2020
From October 2nd to December 19th, "Tu Hongtao: Twists and Turns" was exhibited at Lévy Gorvy's London …
Rutáge | ГАЛЕРЕЯ Lévy Gorvy ОТКРЫЛА НОВОЕ ПРОСТРАНСТВО В БЫВШЕМ Pret a Manger
October 29, 2020
Despite with the pandemic, a new trend has arisen in London - private galleries are opening temporary …
Black Qube | „Twisting and turning“ – Paintings by Tu Hongtao
October 19, 2020
„Twisting and Turning“ marks the first European exhibition of Chinese artist Tu Hongtao at Lévy …
The Art Newspaper | From flat white to white cube: Lévy Gorvy opens gallery in former Pret a Manger in Mayfair
October 15, 2020
Firm now plans to extend its lease after Long Museum buys huge Tu Hongtao painting on show in the new …
inssaidor | Tu Hongtao: Twisting and Turning — Lévy Gorvy
October 13, 2020
Lévy Gorvy is pleased to announce its first European exhibition with acclaimed Chinese artist Tu Hongtao …
Seb's Art List | Tu Hongtao - Twisting and Turning
October 1, 2020
Lévy Gorvy announces its first European exhibition with acclaimed Chinese artist Tu Hongtao (b. 1976). …
GalleriesNow | Tu Hongtao
June 12, 2020
Following the recent announcement of its global representation of Tu Hongtao, Lévy Gorvy presents a …
ArtAsiaPacific | Tu Hongtao: From Cityscapes of Desire to Self-Reflection in Nature
May 18, 2020
Near the entrance of Hong Kong’s Lévy Gorvy gallery was a panel of figurative and landscape sketches …
Artron | 【雅昌专稿】“传奇”厉为阁：将精细化艺术服务做到极致
May 18, 2020
2019年9月，厉为阁宣布全球代理中国艺术家屠宏涛。2020年3月25日，艺术家同名个展“屠宏涛”在香港厉为阁举办。
Prestige magazine | Lévy Gorvy Presents A Survey of Paintings by Artist Tu HongTao
May 15, 2020
Following last year’s announcement of its global representation of Tu Hongtao, lovers of Chinese modern …
Financial Times | How contemporary art is changing in the Covid-19 era
April 27, 2020
Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles …
ARTCO | Tu Hongtao: A Person's History of Painting, or History of Revolution
April 13, 2020
An interview with artist Tu Hongtao on the occasion of his first exhibition at Lévy Gorvy Hong Kong.
Noblesse | Tu Hongtao: The Secret Space of Landscape and Time
April 13, 2020
Noblesse introduces the artistic practice of Tu Hongtao during a studio visit which coincided with the …
ArtDaily | Lévy Gorvy opens a survey of paintings by artist Tu Hongtao
April 2, 2020
Born in Chengdu, China, in 1976, Tu Hongtao was admitted to the affiliated high school of the Sichuan …
Elle Men China | Interview with artist Tu Hongtao
April 1, 2020
An interview with artist Tu Hongtao for Elle Men China.
T Magazine China | Tu Hongtao
March 4, 2020
Born in Chengdu, China, in 1976, Tu Hongtao was admitted to the affiliated high school of the Sichuan …
Sohu | 「Hi行程」缺席11月的艺术圈，就像错过双11的淘宝店
November 6, 2019
每年的11月，总恨不得变成孙悟空，拔一根毫毛变出100个自己……因为各项活动实在是太太太多了！！
Yohomars | 来自屠宏涛的山水画空间
November 6, 2019
屠宏涛工作、生活在成都，他通过在绘画中对风景和抽象绘画的表达，持续探索图像与技法之间有机的发展演化关系。他1999 …
ArtNow 12 | 屠宏涛个展亮相
November 6, 2019
香港Lévy Gorvy近期宣布将在全球代理中国艺术家屠宏涛，并在不 久后推出艺术家同名个展。屠宏涛的作品融合了强烈的工艺感和对笔 …
Artnet | 厉为阁宣布代理屠宏涛：这家蓝筹画廊有怎样的“亚洲布局”？
October 14, 2019
近日，蓝筹画廊厉为阁（Lévy Gorvy）宣布将全球代理中国艺术家屠宏涛，这是该画廊代理的第一位中国在世艺术家。屠宏涛1999年毕业于中国美术学院油画专业，目前工作、生活在成都，通过在绘画中对风景和抽象绘画的表达，持续探索图像与技法之间有机的发展演化关系。
Art Forum | TAIPEI DANGDAI AND NADA MIAMI ANNOUNCE EXHIBITORS, TU HONGTAO JOINS LÉVY GORVY, AND MORE
October 4, 2019
Lévy Gorvy announced the gallery’s worldwide representation of the Chinese artist Tu Hongtao. Based …
Artnet | Art Industry News: Top Los Angeles Art Patrons Donate $750 Million to Bankroll Climate-Change Research + Other Stories
October 1, 2019
Lévy Gorvy Now Represents Tu Hongtao
Art News | ARTnews In Brief: Gwangju Biennale Reveals Partial Artist List for 2020 Edition and More from September 27, 2019
October 1, 2019
Lévy Gorvy, which has spaces in New York, Zürich, London, and Hong Kong, now represents Chinese painter …
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