Tong Yang-tze

Chinese scholars have long recognized Tong Yang-tze as one of the most audacious of the calligraphers in Asia producing work that is meaningful and relevant to the contemporary world. Born in Shanghai in 1942, she applies her unorthodox calligraphic method to ancient texts, thus combining the Chinese reverence for the past with a bold embrace of the present. She draws inspiration from philosophical works like the Daodejing and texts from Confucius and Mencius. She has succeeded in retaining a beauty of line and form through her deep understanding of ancient art, but at the same time she has broken free from the sterile orthodoxy of the past to create a new pictorial language for the present. She is represented in numerous institutional and private collections throughout the world.