CHINESE ART COLLECTIONS IN AUSTRALIA: A PASSIONATE CELEBRATION
Visitors to Australia may be surprised to discover the wealth of public collections showcasing Chinese art. Galleries, museums and universities throughout the country are proud of their Chinese collections and they showcase them as key points of interest. Such collections have their roots in both Chinese immigration to Australia, as well as the interests and passions that many Australian visitors to China have developed in response to the local culture.
Chinese people have been coming to Australia since the 1850s when gold was first discovered in Victoria in a region that the Cantonese speaking arrivals named Dai Gum San or ‘Big Gold Mountain’. However, for at least a century prior, trade routes between China and Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory had been maintained by Makassar fishermen, acting as intermediaries between the Aboriginal people of the region and buyers in mainland China. As a marker of this period, an 18th Century Chinese coin found on the remote Elcho Island off the coast of the Northern Territory is suggestive of a period prior to European colonization and the possibility of Chinese travelers to the Southern Land. Examples of 18th Century artifacts such as this are comparatively rare; however, objects, artifacts and collections from the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries provide insights into an array of Chinese art and culture, both in Mainland China and in Australia.
Several of those collections were developed as private holdings by individuals with a passion for China, and who recognized that events of historical significance were taking place before their eyes. George Ernest Morrison (1862-1920), Peter Townsend (1919-1992), Dr Geoff Raby AO (b.1953-), and Judith Neilson AM are just some of the collectors whose enthusiasm for Chinese art and culture has resulted in survey collections of importance.
For instance, the journalist, traveller and political advisor George Ernest Morrison (1862-1920) can be seen as one of the first Australian travellers to become seriously involved with China. In August 1912, Morrison accepted an offer from President Yuan Shikai (1859-1916) to become an adviser to the government of the Republic of China. During this time, Morrison amassed one of the largest collections of English language books on China, which is now housed in Japan’s Toyo Bunka Kenkyusho, or Oriental Library in Tokyo.
Some decades later during the 1940s the British born arts editor Peter Townsend arrived in China. Townsend was in touch with many leading figures, including Mao Zedong, and he developed an active interest in Chinese woodblock prints, especially those produced in the 1930s and 1940s. His interest was sparked when then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, (1898-1976) presented him with an example. Townsend later moved to Australia where he sold his collection to the newly formed National Gallery of Australia in Canberra. He used the money to establish the magazine Art Monthly Australia, which is still running today. For anyone interested in Chinese art in the mid-20th Century, the Peter Townsend Collection must be considered. One might also turn to the Stewart E Fraser Collection, at La Trobe University in Melbourne, which has one of the largest collections of Chinese propaganda posters from the period 1966-1976.
With the arrival of the Reform period in the late 1970s and early 1980s, artistic practice began to change in China. Some of those movements include Scar Art of the late 1970s, the Stars Group of Artists that ran from1979 until 1983, the ‘West Village’ artist colony around the Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace) that ran from 1990-1993, and the 798 arts district that opened in 2002 and is still running today. These are just some of the key artistic clusters of the recent period. Many works from those groups can be found in collections in Australia. One way that Australian collectors were able to purchase works at this time was through exhibitions staged not in art galleries, but in the apartments of foreign nationals living in Beijing. From this period, one sees important works of art being acquired by embassy workers and visitors and a growing trend wherein Chinese artists were receiving the support of collectors. Key works from this period can, for instance, be found in the Geoff Raby Collection of Chinese Art at La Trobe University in Melbourne. Included here are early works by Ah Xian, Guan Wei, Lin Chunyan, and Xi Janjun amongst others.
While the National Gallery of Victoria and the Art Gallery of New South Wales hold superb examples of pre 20th Century artworks and artefacts, they also possess important examples of works by leading contemporary artists. Works by Zhang Xiaogang, Ah Xian and Yin Xiuzhen can be found in the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Important pieces by Ai Wei Wei are held in the Queensland Art Gallery and National Gallery of Victoria. The latter collection also contains works by noteworthy Chinese photographers. Zhang Huan, Huang Yan, Chi Peng and Liu Wei are some of the artists listed here.
Certainly, the most prominent collection of Chinese contemporary art in Australia is the White Rabbit Collection in Sydney. Established by Judith Neilson AM, the collection focuses on the art of the 21st Century. White Rabbit has more than 2,500 works by 700 artists, making it one of the most important collections of contemporary Chinese art anywhere in the world.
In contrast, the Damian Smith Archive, in the State Library of Victoria features many articles and photographs taken by Smith. Included here are portrait photographs of artists taken in Beijing, Lhasa and Australia, along with exhibition catalogues featuring early exhibitions of Chinese art in Melbourne.
The combined holdings of these art collections and archives make available to the public a very complex survey of Chinese art and culture from the late 19th Century to the early 21st Century. This is undoubtedly an intense and dynamic period within China and a reflection of China’s emerging status as a world power. Equally, it reflects the affection that many Australians feel for China, its art and its peoples.
DR DAMIAN SMITH, 2020
President, Australian China Art Research Institute (ACARI)
澳大利亚的中国艺术品收藏：充满热情的精粹
来到澳大利亚的游客可能会惊讶地发现在澳洲有大量展示中国艺术的公共藏品。全国各地的美术馆、博物馆和大学都为他们的中国艺术藏品感到自豪，并将它们作为主要的兴趣点展示。这些藏品的来源不但来自澳大利亚的中国移民，也来自许多澳大利亚人去中国旅游时对当地文化所产生的兴趣和热情。
自从1850年在维多利亚州首次发现黄金以来，中国人就开始来到澳大利亚。该地区讲广东话的人将其称为Dai Gum San或者“ 大金山”。然而，至少在一个世纪之前，望加锡（Maskassar)渔民就一直维持着中国和北领地阿纳姆地(Arnhem Land)之间的贸易路线，他们是该地区澳洲原住民与中国大陆买家之间的中间人。作为这一时期的标志，在北领地沿海偏远的Elcho岛上发现的18世纪中国硬币，就暗示着中国旅行者有可能比欧洲殖民更早来到南半球。诸如此类的18世纪文物的例子相对较少；但是来自于19世纪、20世纪和21世纪的中国大陆和澳大利亚的物品、文物和收藏品则提供了大众对于中国艺术和文化的了解。
这些藏品中有一些是由几位对中国及其文化艺术充满热情的人士从私人藏品发展而来的， 他们远见卓识地认识到具有历史意义的事件正在他们眼前发生。乔治·欧内斯特·莫里森（George Ernest Morrison，1862-1920年），彼得·汤森（Peter Townsend，1919-1992年），杰夫·拉比·AO（Geoff Raby AO 生于1953年）和朱迪思·尼尔森（Judith Neilson AM）是其中几位为大众带来了重要的收藏品的对中国艺术和文化充满热情的收藏家们。
例如，记者、旅行家和政治顾问乔治·欧内斯特·莫里森（George Ernest Morrison，1862-1920年）可以被视为第一批认真涉足中国的澳大利亚旅行家之一。 1912年8月，莫里森接受了袁世凯总统（1859-1916）的邀请，成为了中华民国政府的顾问。在这段时间里，莫里森（Morrison）收藏积累了关于中国的最大的书籍藏品之一，现藏于日本东京的Bunka Kenkyusho也被叫做东方图书馆中。
几十年后的1940年代，英国出生的艺术编辑彼得·汤森（Peter Townsend）来到中国。汤森德与包括毛泽东在内的许多重要人物保持联络，他对中国木版画尤其是1930年代和1940年代的版画产生了浓厚的兴趣。当时中国总理周恩来（1898-1976）向他展示了其中的一副木版画时，激发了他收藏的兴趣。汤森德后来移居澳大利亚，在那里他将自己的藏品卖给了新成立的位于堪培拉的澳大利亚国家美术馆。随后他用这笔收入创办了《澳大利亚艺术月刊》杂志（Art monthly Australia )，该杂志至今仍在运营 。对20世纪中叶的中国艺术感兴趣的人，必须考虑彼得·汤森收藏，亦或者是墨尔本拉筹伯大学的Stewart E Fraser收藏品，该收藏品是1966-1976年间最大的中国宣传海报收藏品之一。
随着1970年代末和1980年代初改革时期的到来，中国的艺术实践开始发生变化。其中的一些运动包括：1970年代后期的《疤痕艺术》，1979年至1983年间的星星画家的运动，1990-1993年间活跃的圆明园（旧颐和园）周边的“西村”艺术家聚居区的活动，以及于2002年开放，至今仍在运行798艺术区 。这些只是中国当代的一些重要艺术家群体。这些团体的许多作品都可以在澳大利亚的馆藏中找到。澳大利亚收藏家此时能够购买作品的一种方式是通过居住在北京的外国人的公寓中举办展览进行的，而不是通过画廊的展览。从这一时期开始，人们就看到使馆工作人员和访问人员获得了一些重要的艺术品，并且这种收藏家支持中国艺术家的趋势呈上升状态。例如，这一时期的重要作品可以在墨尔本拉筹伯大学的杰夫·拉比的中国艺术品收藏中找到。这其中包括阿先，关伟，林春燕和习近军等人的早期作品。
维多利亚州国立美术馆和新南威尔士州国立美术馆拥有20世纪以前艺术品和手工艺品，同时也收藏重要的中国当代艺术家作品的代表作品。张小刚、阿先和尹秀珍的作品可以在新南威尔士州美术馆找到。艾未未的重要作品在昆士兰美术馆和维多利亚国家美术馆均有收藏。后者还收藏了中国著名摄影师的作品。 张欢、黄岩、迟鹏和刘炜就是其收藏名单上的一些艺术家。
当然，澳大利亚最著名的中国当代艺术收藏品是悉尼的“白兔收藏品系列”。该系列收藏品由Judith Neilson AM创立正并专注于收藏21世纪的中国艺术品。 “白兔收藏系列”拥有700多位艺术家的2500多幅作品，使其成为世界上最重要的当代中国艺术品收藏之一。
相比之下，维多利亚州立图书馆的达米安·史密斯（Damian Smith)档案馆则收录了史密斯的许多文章和拍摄的照片。其中包括他在北京、拉萨和澳大利亚拍摄的中国艺术家肖像照片，以及在墨尔本举办的早期中国艺术家展览的展览目录。
这些艺术收藏品和档案馆的合并藏品向公众提供了从19世纪末到21世纪初的非常综合的中国艺术和文化概况。无疑，这是中国内部一个剧烈变化而充满活力的时期，反映了中国作为世界大国的新兴地位。同时它也反映了许多澳大利亚人对中国及其艺术和人民的感情。
达米安·史密斯(Damian Smith)博士，2020
澳大利亚中国艺术研究院（ACARI）院长
翻译：Helen Yu (ACAE Gallery)