Li Yuan-chia

Li Yuan-chia (李元佳, born near Lushan, China 1929 - died Carlisle 1994) was an artist, poet and curator. He was educated in Taiwan from 1949.

Life

Li Yuan-chia is credited with establishing modern abstract art in Chinese circles. After time spent in Italy, in Bologna and Milan, ["Hsiao Chin, who has been traveling extensively in Europe and sending back reports of new developments in art to artist friends and newspapers in Taiwan, settles in Milan. There he establishes Il Punto (The Point) group with the Italian painter Antonio Calderara and the Japanese sculptor Kengiro Azuma. Hsiao Chin invites artists from Ton Fan to join him in Milan and several (including Li) do. [http://www.iniva.org/season/tourist/article_05] ] Li Yuan-chia moved to London in 1963 where he exhibited with David Medalla and later at the Lisson Gallery.

In 1968 he moved to Banks near Brampton in the North West of England where he opened his own gallery, the LYC Museum and Art Gallery. Li Yuan-chia's interest was for artists to work with the natural environment and he commissioned work from Andy Goldsworthy, Rosie Leventon, David Nash and Bill Woodrow.

The LYC Museum relied on the support of private patrons - notably the artist Winifred Nicholson. Following her death funding the gallery became more difficult and support from the Arts Council was limited. Li Yuan-chia died of cancer. A retrospective of his work and career was shown at the Camden Arts Centre in 2001. [http://www.iniva.org/archive/project/240]

Exhibitions

* São Paulo Biennale 1957
* São Paulo Biennale 1959
* Stadisches Museum Leverkusen 1960
* Obelisko Gallery Rome
* White - White 1965
* Signals London Soundings Two 1966
* Signals London Soundings 3 + 1 = Li Y - C etc.
* Lisson Gallery
* Cosmic Point 1967 [This list taken from a Lisson Gallery catalogue, dated October 1967]
* Camden Arts Centre, 26 January - 18 March 2001; Kendal, Cumbria: Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal 28 March - 3 June; Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels 6 July - 9 September 2001

References

* Guy Brett and Nick Sawyer (2000) "Li Yuan-Chia: Tell Me What is Not Yet Said" (London: Institute of International Visual Arts)
* Guy Brett, "Li Yuan-chia 1929-1994", "Third Text" n28/9, Autumn/Winter 1994, 3-4: obituary

Notes

External links

* [http://www.lycfoundation.org/space/ LYC Foundation page]
* [http://www.iniva.org/archive/resource/2517 INIVA archive page, review]
* [http://www.iniva.org/archive/project/80 INIVA archive page, installation]
* [http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid=7467&page=1 Tate Collection page]