Shanghai Artists Association celebrates 70th anniversary

The symposium “Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Founding of the Shanghai Artists Association” was recently held.

The Shanghai Artists Association’s 70-year history reflects local artists’ unwavering quest for innovation and creativity as a source of cultural self-confidence.

The city, the birthplace of Shanghai-style painting, has had a seminal influence on Chinese painting. Between the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and 1949, the city was home to around 700 painters and calligraphers.

In addition, Shanghai serves as a hub for Western art development in China. From 1912 to 1949, hundreds of new art schools, studios, galleries, and associations opened in the city. Shanghai, known as the cradle of Chinese caricaturists, was home to many well-known cartoonists.

The East China Artists Association was set up in Shanghai on April 21, 1954. The name was changed to the Shanghai Branch of the China Artists Association in 1955. In 1991, the association was again renamed the Shanghai Artists Association.

The association has grown from 78 members in 1954 to 2,290 during the last 70 years.

The association has established a platform for developing and selecting artists. It organizes several art events in the country, including the “Sea Horizon Painting and Sculpture Exhibition” and the “Shanghai Fine Arts Exhibition.”

“Sea Horizon,” after 19 editions, has supported 400 artists who have gained critical influence in the art community.