Li Xianting

Li Xianting (December 22, 1949 -) is a Chinese art critic. He was an important critic in the 1980s and 1990s. He had an important and far-reaching influence on the occurrence and development of the Chinese modern art movement. In the early 1980s, Li Xianting first introduced the "Star Painting School" and some other avant-garde art works in the official "Art" magazine. From the mid-1980s to 1989, he served as the editor of "China Art News" and did a lot of work for the dissemination and organization of the "85 New Wave". The artist Li Xianting admired during this period was Nanjing artist Ding Fang, and he wrote the most important critical article in the history of Chinese criticism during this period: "The Times Calls for the Life Passion of the Great Soul" to affirm Ding Fang's art. After 1989, Li Xianting named new art phenomena and conducted relatively systematic research, launching art schools such as "Political Pop", "Cynical Realism", and "Gaudy Art". In the late 1990s, Li Xianting served as the curator of the "Corpse Art" exhibition "Fascination with Injury" to support the radical actions of younger artists. After 2000, Li Xianting's artistic activities gradually decreased. The exhibition "Rosary Beads and Brushstrokes" curated in 2003 at the Tokyo Gallery in the Dashanzi area of ​​Beijing was one of the very few exhibitions in recent years.