Legacy of Pu Xinyu: A Journey through art at Prince Kung's Palace Museum

Since its founding in 1983, Prince Kung's Palace Museum has been committed to conducting research on Pu Xinyu and his art, gradually becoming one of the pivotal organizations to house Pu's painting works in the Chinese mainland.

In 2021 the museum premiered its inaugural research exhibition on Pu, followed by a second in 2023. The ongoing exhibition as the culmination of the series, encapsulates academia's extensive exploration of Pu Xinyu's art from various perspectives.

With the collapse of the Qing empire in 1911, royal clan members saw a decline in their fortunes. Loyal to the imperial house, Pu Xinyu declined any positions offered by the Republican government. Although he led a frugal life, distinct from the opulent lifestyles of some of his aristocrat peers, he struggled to make ends meet. During the 1920s and 1930s, he reluctantly parted with some of his prized possessions, including the paintings Night-Shining White by Han Gan (706-783) and Ape Gathering by Yi Yuanji (act. 11th century), as well as the calligraphy works Consoling Letter (Pingfu tie) by Lu Ji (261-303) and the Gaoshen (Self-Written Announcement of Office) Manuscript by Yan Zhenqing (709-784). These treasures are now housed in other museums both domestically and abroad, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the US and the Taito City Calligraphy Museum in Tokyo, Japan.

In 2023, commemorating its 40th anniversary, the museum released an online exhibition was released to digitally reunite the lost art pieces from the mansion's owner.

Exhibition title: Imitation and Originality: A Research Exhibition of the Sketches and Draft Paintings by Pu Xinyu

Dates: April 23 – July 21, 2024