Chinese fine arts luminaries to hit the spotlight at China Institute’s Blue Cloud Gala in New York
- Renowned Chinese artist Liu Dan, Peking University art museum founder Jillian Sackler among the honorees
- The China Institute is the oldest US-based organisation dedicated to promoting US-China cultural ties
Chinese fine arts will take pride of place at this year’s Blue Cloud Gala, an annual New York City event organised by the China Institute, the oldest US-based organisation dedicated to promoting US-China cultural ties.
Liu Dan, among the most world-renowned living artists in China, is among four individuals to be honoured at the event on November 28. Known for an oeuvre that combines classical techniques of Chinese and Western painting, Liu is featured in collections of the British Museum in London, Musée Guimet in Paris, and the Brooklyn Museum in New York, among other prominent galleries.
Jillian Sackler, who founded the Arthur M. Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University, where some of Liu’s works are displayed, will also be honoured for the international “cultural bridges” she has built. For example, a 1993 conference held at the museum was billed as “the first meeting of Eastern and Western archaeologists in decades”.
China Institute’s annual award “represents the traditional Chinese symbol of high virtue and status”, according to the organisation, which was founded in 1926.
Trustees of the organisation include bestselling author Julie Nixon Eisenhower, daughter of former US president Richard Nixon, who paved the way for the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
Past Blue Cloud honorees include former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, former US ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, renowned pianist Lang Lang and legendary Chinese architect I.M. Pei.