Hung Liu: Witness

Chinese-born artist Hung Liu (1948–2021) created richly layered portraits and installations that interweave memory and history. 

This exhibition features works from SFMOMA’s collection, from her most significant paintings made in China during the tumult of the Cultural Revolution between 1966–76 to those created in the U.S. during the 1990s and 2000s. 

Intimate and large-scale works blend landscapes and images from historical and family photographs with dripping brushwork. Together, they reveal Liu’s enduring commitment to “be a witness of my time” as she elevated her subjects to “mythic figures on the grander scale of history painting.”

Credit: Overview from museum website ​