Masterpieces of Chinese Painting from the Metropolitan Collection

Over the last forty years, the Metropolitan's collection of Chinese painting and calligraphy has grown to be one of the greatest in the world. Replete with masterpieces dating from the Tang dynasty (608–917) to the present, the collection encompasses the vast historical sweep of the brush arts of China, from meticulous court painting to fiercely brushed dragons to lyrical paintings by scholars.

This exhibition will highlight the gems of the permanent collection in a chronological display, with an emphasis on works from the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties.

Credit: Exhibition Overview from the Metropolitan Museum website

Whether you go or not: Although this book is not a catalog for the exhibition, How to Read Chinese Paintings (Metropolitan Museum of Art) closely “reads” thirty-six masterpieces of Chinese painting from the encyclopedic collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art to reveal the major characteristics and themes of this rich pictorial tradition.