Timeline

1948

Born in Shanghai, China

1954

Began studying Chinese ink painting under Wang Jimei, son of Wang Yiting

1964

Began studying Western painting and drawing under Zhang Chongren, a graduate of the Belgium Royal Academy of Art

1969-1976

Specialised in propaganda art as a worker artist during the Cultural Revolution

1970

Visited a number of China's significant scenic, historic and cultural sites, including the celebrated peaks of Huangshan in Anhui Province

In Gansu Province, Li taught himself the early history of Chinese painting and achieved an understanding of religious painting through informal study of the Buddhist cave temples at Dunhuang

1982

Moved to San Francisco in United States

1984

Received his Master of Fine Arts Degree from Academy of Art, San Francisco

Held his first solo exhibition in America at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena, USA, featuring a combination of Dunhuang-style paintings and Abstract Expressionist works, which received critical acclaim from the leading scholar of Chinese painting, Michael Sullivan

1993

Began creating Monumental Landscapes works 

Created his signature style featuring grand mountain compositions that recall the monumental landscapes of the Northern Song dynasty

1996

Publication, Li Huayi Landscape Paintings (1993-95)

1997

Began creating Rock, Bamboo and Moonlight works 

Solo Exhibition, "The Landscapes of Li Huayi" at Kaikodo, New York, United States

1999

Group Exhibition, "In Concert: Landscapes by Li Huayi and Zhang Hong" at Kaikodo, New York, United States

2000s

Made a number of pilgrimages to famous mountains in China including Huangshan Mountain in Anhui, Wuyishan in Fujian, Zhangjiajie in Hunan, and Huashan in Shanxi, as well as an exploration of Li Cheng's home territory in Shandong

2004

Solo Exhibition, "The Monumental Landscapes of Li Huayi" at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, United States

2005

Became a disciple of Chen Pei Qiu, master of Chinese painting from Shanghai

2006

Made a pilgrimage to Mount Lu or Lushan in Jiangxi. 

Began creating Multiple Screen Installation works

2007

First visited Xinjiang and Zhejiang Provinces

Solo Exhibition, "Mountain Landscapes by Li Huayi", Eskenazi Gallery, London, United Kingdom

2008

Solo Exhibition, "Li Huayi at 60: Paintings in the Yiqingzhai Collection" at The Ink Society, Hong Kong, China

Began creating Works of Gilded Screens

2009

Made a pilgrimage to Xinjiang, China

2010

Solo Exhibition, "Trees, Rocks, Mist and Mountains by Li Huayi", Eskenazi Gallery, New York Asia Week, New York, United States

Began creating his series "Exotica", in which he translated a newfound invisible energy he discovered in his travels that triggered a subconscious evolution within himself and resulted in a fresh outlook on the world

2011

Solo Exhibition, "Images of the Mind: The Ink Painting of Li Huayi", National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China

Solo Exhibition, "Beyond Representation: Li Huayi's New Art", Beijing Center for the Arts, Beijing, China

Solo Exhibition, "The Twelve Animals of the Zodiac by Li Huayi", Eskenazi Gallery, London, United Kingdom

2012

Group Exhibition,“Associated Exhibition of Contemporary Ink Painting by Li Huayi and Li Jin”, at Gallery 100, Taipei, Taiwan

2014

Solo Exhibition, "Waterfalls, Rocks and Bamboo by Li Huayi", at Eskenazi Gallery, London, United Kingdom

2015

Trip to hike East Tianmu Mountain, Huangshan Mountain, Qiyun Mountain, Jiuhua Mountain and Tianzhu Mountain in Anhui Province; to cross the Wulong natural karst bridges in Chongqing; and to explore the previously inaccessible areas of Shichuan, Hubei and Hunan, including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Wulingyuan

2016

Solo Exhibition, "Exotica: Recent Works of Li Huayi", Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, Hong Kong, China

2017

Solo Exhibition, "Fantasies on Paper and Enchantments in Gold", Suzhou Museum, Suzhou, China

Solo Exhibition, "Li Huayi", Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, Art Basel, Hong Kong, China

Solo Exhibition, "Landscapes in New Dimensions", Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, Hong Kong, China

2018

Publication, "Li Huayi: Landscapes from a Master’s Heart", Monograph, by Rizzoli International Publications Inc. and Kwai Fung Art Publishing House

Group Exhibition, "Ink World: Contemporary Chinese Painting from the Collection of Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang", Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, California, United States

2019

Solo Exhibition, "Contemporary Landscapes: Li Huayi", Honolulu Museum of Art, Hawaii, United States

Solo Exhibition, "Law of Nature, Tao of Man", Kwai Fung Hin Art Gallery, Hong Kong, China

2021