Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting

"An astonishing feat with much new to say to novice and specialist alike. . . . Broad surveys in the area have, of course, appeared many times before, but this one outclasses them on virtually every count."Alan G. Artner, Chicago Tribune "Exotic, beautiful, beguiling, and so luxuriously fat that you need four hands to hold it."Financial Times & Weekend "It is a daunting task to contain this vast subject within the covers of one volume, but the six authors of this Sino-American venture succeed in doing just that. They rewrite the history of Chinese painting wherever it is foundin caves, temples, or museum collectionsfrom Neolithic times to the present day."Caroline Blunden, The Art Newspaper "A team of scholars has produced the essential guide to one of the world's greatest painting traditions, from ancient petroglyphs to handscrolls made in modern times."Boston Sunday Globe "A comprehensive history and reference that not only presents the best of Chinese painting but also explains its conventions and traditions. It includes a glossary of terms and a list of major painters by dynasty. In short, it's the best starting point for anyone who wants to learn about Chinese art."Philadelphia Inquirer "This is an extraordinary book and, given the West's limited acquaintance with the art it contains, a vitally necessary one."Wan-Go Weng, Wall Street Journal "One of the most complete and best-illustrated works on the topic of Chinese pictorial art available to both general readers and scholars."Library Journal "[A] magnificent book. . . . Accessible to the general reader and revelatory for the scholar, it provides the most up-to-date and detailed history of China's pictorial art available today."Apollo Winner of the 1997 Hawkins Award from the Arts Category given by the Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division of the Association of American Publishers "This is the most comprehensive and up-to-date single volume account of Chinese painting from prehistoric times to the present. For some time to come, it will be an indispensable work for students and the general reader who wishes to gain an in-depth knowledge of Chinese painting. Not least among the merits of the book are the numerous illustrations and discussions of important paintings in Chinese museums hitherto little known outside China. This book, which is the first in the Culture and Civilization of China series, augurs well for the success of this significant and far reaching collaborative effort between scholars in and outside China. It is indeed a welcome development."James Watt

Richard M. Barnhart is John M. Schiff Professor of Art History at Yale University. James Cahill is professor emeritus of the history of art at the University of California, Berkeley. Wu Hung is Harrie A. Vanderstappen Distinguished Service Professor in Chinese Art History at the University of Chicago. Yang Xin is deputy director and research fellow at the Palace Museum, Beijing. Nie Chongzheng is research fellow at the Palace Museum, Beijing. Lang Shaojun is director of the Fine Arts Research Laboratory at the Institute of Fine Arts, Chinese Academy of Arts, Beijing. James Peck is director of the U.S.-China Book Publication Project and executive editor of The Culture & Civilization of China series.