Liu Shiming

Liu Shiming, written by Richard Vine and published by Rutgers University Press, provides an in-depth look at a pivotal figure in modern Chinese sculpture. This volume 1 monograph examines the life and career of a revered artist born in Tianjin in 1926. Trained at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Liu Shiming blended traditional Chinese art with French modernist principles. His early work, such as the 1950 piece Measuring Land, helped introduce Chinese sculpture to an international audience during a transformative era in the nation's history.

As an art appreciation text within the arts and photography category, this book explores how Shiming navigated the complex social and political shifts of 20th-century China. While history often focuses on major movements, this study of an individual artist reveals the broader forces that shaped postwar art. Liu Shiming remains a significant subject for those interested in sculpture and the evolution of global modernism.