Books

Please email mubaninfo@gmail.com if you wish to buy any of the following books, or click on the image to find the Amazon shop page.

This is the catalogue of the exhibition of “Chinese Printmaking Today”, held at British Library, 7 November 2003 – 7 March 2004.  Most of the prints featured in the book are in the collections of the Muban Educational Trust, London, which has the largest collection of Chinese pictorial prints in the world. Many of the prints have never been seen before. This textis an opportunity to make available to a wider audience an exciting aspect of contemporary Chinese art that is at present little known outside China. There are biographies of print artists, an extensive bi-lingual bibliography and information about Chinese art institutions.

This book is edited by Anne Farrer, Senior Lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, and was formerly Assistant Keeper responsible for the Chinese painting and print collections at the British Museum.

If you wish to buy a copy, please go to Amazon.

The Art of Contemporary Chinese Woodcuts (《中国当代木刻艺术》) showcases woodcuts of astonishingly high quality by 60 Chinese artists. The woodcuts were all produced specifically for the Portfolio presented in this volume. The large volume (33×23 cm) features full-page colour plates faced with an entry that describes the artist’s life, career, influences, awards, style, subject matter, and typical working method. Four lengthy essays, by art historians Frances Wood, Julia E Andrews, Ellen Johnston Laing and An Bin, discuss the history of Chinese prints before 1900, during the Revolution, during the People’s Republic, and from 1985. There is a 38 page glossary of Chinese woodcut terms, a list of Chinese institutions’ names and terms, and a bibliography.

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Barker, David and Ginsberg, Mary: LU XUN’S LEGACY
Printmaking in Modern China: An exhibition of prints from the Muban Educational Trust.
London, 2020. 
4, 182 pp. Colour and b/w illustrations throughout. 25×23 cm. Wrappers.
Price: £20.00 + postage.  

Catalogue produced to accompany a travelling exhibition to be held in Edinburgh, Durham and London. Illustrates and describes. 132 colour and black-and-white chinese woodblock prints dating from the 1930s to the present day.
The author Lu Xun revitalized the tradition of woodblock printing in China in the 1930s and this exhibition traces the development and progression from then on. Whilst there are many fine early prints, this catalogue is testament to
the extraordinary talent of the younger generation of artists from the 1980s onwards. Introductions and essays accompany. A very worthwhile and enjoyable contribution.

Barker, David et al: REGENERATION: THE MAKING OF THE PRINTS. 

A Companion Volume to a Portfolio of 18 Contemporary Chinese Prints Commissioned by the Muban educational Trust. London, 2022. vii, 1, 195 pp. Copiously illustrated with colour illustrations throughout, a number full page. 26×24 cm. Boards.

An excellent work describing and illustrating the stages of the production processes of the varied and highly-creative 18 prints included in the Regeneration portfolio commissioned by the Muban Educational Trust. In addition to each production process, there are artists’ statements and biographies and a full page colour plate showing each finished prints. Also comments by those who participated in the judging process that chose the portfolio of 18. 

Price £60.00