Tu Hongtao: Twisting and TurningExhibitions
Tu Hongtao: Twisting and Turning
Lévy Gorvy is pleased to announce its first European exhibition with acclaimed Chinese artist Tu Hongtao (b. 1976). Following the gallery’s career survey of Tu’s paintings in Hong Kong in early 2020, this exhibition will debut new works never before exhibited. On view at both 22 Old Bond Street and 40 Albemarle Street, Tu Hongtao: Twisting and Turning features expansive paintings that occupy an expressive realm between landscape and abstraction, reflecting the atmosphere and influence of the rural area near where the artist resides. Tu synthesizes Chinese aesthetic traditions with postwar abstraction to create painterly effects that are vividly realized and profoundly original.
The exhibition’s title Twisting and Turning is inspired by the Chinese idiom Yibosanzhe—“a twist and three turns”—a phrase that originates from Jin Dynasty master calligrapher Wang Xizhi (303–361 CE). Originally referring to the elegant flourishes of Chinese calligraphy, the phrase now describes unpredictable, abruptly changing states of affairs, while also implying that good things never come easy. As Tu explains: “I understand these words as espousing a certain aesthetic sensibility, namely, that painting ought not to be too neat and orderly, nor artistic production too decorative; both, rather, should involve a kind of friction, as with a blade against a grindstone.” In the face of the uncertainty and global predicaments of the present, he has broken through with new forms of painterly expression in this new body of works.
Selected Works
Video
"Tu Hongtao: Twisting and Turning" | 22 Old Bond Street, Lévy Gorvy London 2020
October 21, 2020
Selected Press
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 …
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 …
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 …
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). …