2019
The inaugural Liu Kuo-sung Ink Award is co-presented in Hong Kong by The Liu Kuo-sung Archives and The ink Society of Hong Kong.
The exhibition To the Moon－Liu Kuo-sung is mounted at the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan.
2018
Appointed as the inaugural dean of the newly founded Academy of Contemporary Ink Art at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art.
2017
Awarded 36th Nation Cultural Award
“Retrospective Exhibition of Liu Kuo-sung's Works of Art”in Shandong Museum, China
The opening of "Retrospective Exhibition of Liu Kuo-sung's Works of Art", Liu with the guests. Photos are provided by Loftyart Gallery.
2016
The exhibition Echo of the Universe: Ink Art of Liu Kuo-sung is mounted at the China Art Museum in Shanghai.
Becomes the first Chinese artist to be named a Foreign Honorary Member by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
2015
Participated in Ink Asia, the first art fair specialized in Chinese Ink Paintings held in Hong Kong, and was invited to deliver the speech：My Journey with Chinese Ink Painting.
Revolution | “Renaissance: The Art of Liu Kuo-Sung” Asia Tour Exhibition
MoCA@LOEWEN, Singapore. National Museum of Indonesia, Jakarta
Museum of Contemporary of Art, Bangkok
Liu gave the speech on his journey with Chinese Ink Painting on 19 December 2015. From left to right are Pi Dao Jian, Liu Kuo-sung and Deng Min-liang.
2014
The exhibition Revolution / Renaissance: The Art of Liu Kuo-sung is mounted at the Taipei Museum of History; it later tours Southeast Asia.
2013
Featuring more than 80 works, the permanent Liu Guosong Modern Ink Art Gallery opens at the Shandong Museum in Jinan, China.
The opening of“The Art Gallery of Modern Chinese Paintings by Liu Guosong”in Shandong Museum on 26. April 2013. Photo by Zhang Meng-qi.
2012
A Man of East, West, South and North－Liu Kuo-sung 80th Birthday Retrospective Exhibition is mounted at the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts.
Liu explains his art personally at his“80th Birthday Retrospective”Exhibition in March, 2012. Huang Tsai-langis on Liu's left side: Lin Jin-tian is on his right. Photo by Zhang Meng-qi.
Liu's 80th Birthday Retrospective Exhibition at National Taiwan Museum of Fine Art in March, 2012. The front row starting from the right are Lee Chun-yi, Li Ming-zhen, Yang Du, Li Mo-hua , Liu Kuo-sung, Lin Jin-tian, Huang Tsai-lang and Yuan Jin-ta on the left; Back row from the left are Julia Andrews, Pi Dao-jian and Shen Kui-yi. Photo by Zhang Meng-qi
2011
Honored with the "Award for Lifetime Achievement" at the biannual China Arts Award organized by the Chinese National Academy of Arts, Beijing.
The exhibition Liu Kuo-sung: A 80-year Retrospective is mounted at the National Art Museum of China, Beijing.
Liu was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award of Chinese Art”Photo by Zhang Meng-qi
2010
Solo exhibition was held at Goedhuis Contemporary in London, UK.
Liu's work “The Rise and Set of the Sun and Moon”was collected by British Museum.
Appointed Chair Professor at NTNU.
2009
The retrospective The Universe in the Mind: 60 Years of Painting by Liu Guosong continues to travel to the Hubei Provincial Museum, the Ningxia Museum, the Three Gorges Museum in Chongqing and the Yaming Art Museum in Hefei, all in China.
The University Museum and Art Gallery of The University of Hong Kong hosts the exhibition The Universe in the Mind: Liu Guosong's Art and Thoughts, and publishes a monographic catalogue by Lee Chun-yi to accompany the show.
2008
He received“The 12th Annual National Award for Arts”of Taiwan.
Liu award“The 12th Annual National Award for Arts”, Sept 26, 2008. Photo by Chang Meng-qi
Liu award"The 12th Annual National Award for Arts", Sept 26,2008. Photo by Chang Mengchi
2007
The retrospective The Universe in the Mind: 60 Years of Painting by Liu Guosong takes place at The Hall of Martial Valor (Wuying dian) at The Palace Museum in Beijing; it subsequently travels to the Shanghai Art Museum and Guangdong Museum of Art, all in China.
The monograph Liu Guosong's Road to Modern Chinese Painting, written by art historian Lin Mu, is published.
The opening of“Universe in the Mind: 60 Years of Paintings by Liu Guosong”, Liu with the guests.
2006
The exhibition Rhythm of Mind travels from Zhejiang Provincial Museum and Zhejiang Westlake Gallery, both in Hangzhou, to Hunan Museum in Changsha, all in China.
The large-scale landscape Tianzishan in Summer: Zhangjiajie Series No. 9 is acquired by The Palace Museum in Beijing, China.
2005
Invited by Michael Sullivan to participate in the "Modern Chinese Painting" symposium at Oxford University, UK.
2004
The major retrospective LIU GUO SONG: A Universe of His Own is mounted at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.
2003
“Liu Kuo-sung at 70”exhibition at Hanart T Z Gallery in Hong Kong.
2002
The solo show The Universe in the Mind: A Retrospective of Liu Kuo-sung at 70 travels to Beijing's National Museum of China, the Shanghai Art Museum and Guangzhou's Guangdong Museum of Art, all in China.
Awarded“Outstanding Alumni”by the Taiwan National Normal University.
Nine Members of the Hong Kong Modern Ink Painting Association celebrate Liu's retrospective exhibition.
Liu's two daughters celebrating their father's birthday in Shanghai.
2000
Invited to lecture at Tibet University in Lhasa, Tibet; Liu visits Mount Everest, and loses hearing in his left ear.
Between 2000 to 2001, Liu makes several visits to Jiuzhaigou in China's Sichuan Province; moved by the beauty of the landscape, he starts to experiment with new techniques to create the Jiuzhaigou series.
1999
At the invitation of the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, the one-man show The Universe and My Heart opens at the Chung Shan Gallery in Taiwan.
1998
Liu is the only artist from Taiwan invited to participate in the exhibition China: 5000 Years at The Guggenheim in New York, US and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain.
The German textbook Brücken und Brüche: Chinas Malerei im 20. Jahrhundert (Bridges and Fractures: China's Painting in the Twentieth Century) features Liu's painting High Cliff on its cover; the authors also write about Liu's influence on the evolution of contemporary Chinese painting.
Liu Kuo-sung was invited to show in "China 5000 Years" at the Guggenheim Museum, Bibao, Spain,1998.
1997
He was invited to participate in“Chinese Art Exhibition”and conference at the Shanghai Art Museum.
1996
Appointed as the inaugural head of the Fine Arts Research Institute at the Tainan National College of the Arts (now Tainan National University of the Arts) in Taiwan.
The Taipei Museum of History, Taiwan, mounts An Exhibition of Liu Kuo-sung's Art and its Studies. To accompany the show, the museum publishes art historian Hsiao Chong-ray's Liu Kuo-sung Research and Liu Kuo-sung Essays, an anthology edited by artist Lee Chun-yi.
Guangxi Fine Arts Publishing House in Nanning, China publishes Chen Lüsheng's A Study of Liu Kuo-sung.
1995
Participates in the exhibition Twentieth Century Chinese Painting: Tradition and Innovation at the Hong Kong Museum of Art; the show subsequently travels to the British Museum in London; the Singapore Art Museum in Singapore; and The Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne.
1992
Invited to participate in the Eastern Aesthetics and Modern Art Symposium at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum in Taiwan; in response, Liu pens an essay, "First be different, then be refined－solving the problem of Chinese painting," delving into his theories on art pedagogy; the two parts are published in the newspaper Taiwan Shin Sheng Daily News.
The Retrospective of 60-year-old Liu Kuo-sung opens at the Taiwan Province Museum of Fine Arts (now the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts) in Taichung, Taiwan.
Retires from CUHK in October and moves to Taichung, Taiwan, where he joins the Department of Fine Arts at Tunghai University as a visiting professor.
1990
The Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan mounts a major retrospective exhibition and publishes an accompanying catalogue.
Liu's solo exhibition at the Taipei Fine Art Museum, 1990 (from the left) Liu Ling-shi (Liu's son), Liu Kuo-sung, Chen Qi-kuan and Li Mo-hua.
1989
He was commissioned by the American Express Corporation and painted a five-story mural titled “Source”.
1989, “Source”, 1952 x 366 cm
1988
Participates in the International Ink Painting Exhibition and Ink Painting Research Conference organized by the Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Painting in Beijing; Liu also publishes the essay "Conceptual questions in contemporary Chinese painting."
Participates in The Third Asian International Art Exhibition at the Fukuoka Art Museum in Fukuoka, Japan.
1987
Visits Tibet in August and subsequently creates the Tibet series.
1986
Futty develops his water rubbing (shuituo) technique and begins exploring and experimenting with his steeped ink (zimo) technique.
1985
Invited by French artist association Salon de Mai to participate in their salon exhibition in Paris; Liu's painting Deeply inside the Mountain's Breath is featured.
Solo retrospectives of Liu's paintings are held at the Hong Kong Arts Centre and the Museu Luis de Camões in Macau.
Chinese artist Zhou Shaohua's The Construction of Liu Kuo-sung's Art is published by the Hubei Fine Arts Publishing House of Wuhan, China.
Liu is invited by the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts (today the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University) in Beijing, to be a visiting professor for two weeks; he teaches modern ink painting.
1985, “Submerge into the Mountain's Breath”, 178.5 x 95.5 cm
1984
Paintings by Liu Kuo-sung is published by People's Fine Arts Publishing House of Beijing, China.
1983
Has solo exhibitions at the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) in Beijing and the Jiangsu Provincial Art Museum in Nanjing; the show eventually tours 18 locations in China over the course of three years. When in Beijing, Liu delivers three public lectures at the Central Academy of Fine Arts at the school's invitation.
Participates in the exhibition Moods of Nature, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong.
Liu's first exhibition at the China Art Museum Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China in Beijing, 1983. Liu with Ai Qing, Li Ke-ran , and Lin Lin
1982
Holds a solo exhibition at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art of Utah State University, Logan, Utah, US.
1981
Liu is invited to Beijing for the inauguration of the Research Institute of Traditional Chinese Painting (today the National Academy of Chinese Painting) and exhibits his works for the first time in Mainland China.
Participates in the exhibition Peinture Chinoises Traditionnelles at Musee Cernuschi in Paris, France.
Holds solo exhibition at the Cultural Arts Center, Columbus, Ohio; UMC Fine Art Gallery, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, and Galerie Andree in Costa Mesa, California. all in the US.
The opening dinner of the foundation of the Chinese Painting Research Institute. From the left: Ya Ming, Mr.& Mrs. Li Ke-ran, Mr.& Mrs. Wu Zhuo-ren, 1981.
1980
Jointly invited by the Iowa Arts Council and the Illinois Arts Council to become artist-in-residence at the University of Iowa. While in the US, Liu delivers lectures and master classes at various colleges, universities and museums, and on educational television programmes.
1979
Li Chu-tsing's Trends in Modern Chinese Painting, published in Switzerland, expounds on the Chinese works in The C.A. Drenowatz Collection of Zürich, which includes several of Liu's paintings.
Liu and his family at home in Iowa, the United States, where he was invited to teach. His elder daughter, Liu Lin-hwei (left) ,son, Liu Lin-shin and the younger daughter, Liu Lin-i (front)
1978
Professor at the City University of New York Conrad Schirokauer publishes A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilisations, in which he names Liu as a key figure in modern Chinese art; Schirokauer quotes from the artist's essays and features his paintings.
1977
Holds a solo exhibition at the Plymouth State College Art Gallery, New Hampshire, and the art gallery of Occidental College, California, both in the US, as well as the East and West Art Gallery in Melbourne, Australia.
1976
Liu updates his 1965 essay "Discussion on Painting Techniques," originally published in Taiwanese magazine Apollo (Wen Hsing), with groundbreaking ideas about "overturning the centre tip" and "overturning the brush." This revised version is then published in Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao Daily.
The 4th InSEA Asia Conference on Art Education is jointly organized by CUHK, the International Society for Education Through Art (InSEA) Asia, and the Hong Kong Committee of InSEA; Liu is elected as the president of InSEA Asia.
The University of California, Berkeley publishes Michael Sullivan's A Short History of Chinese Art; in it, the historian calls Liu an innovator in Chinese art.
1975
Teaches at the School of Art, University of Iowa, US for a year as a visiting professor, upon their invitation.
CUHK's Department of Extramural Studies mounts an exhibition at Hong Kong City Hall. It showcases works by the inaugural class graduating from the Modern Ink Painting Diploma programme (Modern Chinese Ink Painting Diploma Program). In the foreword for the exhibition catalogue, Liu first puts forward his theories on "overturning the centre tip" and "overturning the brush."
1974
The book L'art Abstrait 1945-1960, which features Liu's painting Which is Earth?, is published in France.
1973
The exhibition Paintings of Liu Kuo-sung opens at the Hong Kong Arts Centre.
Liu introduces the Modern Ink Painting Diploma programme (Modern Chinese Ink Painting Diploma Program) at CUHK's Department of Extramural Studies.
Liu begins extensive experiments with water rubbing (shuituo).
1972
Appointed Chair of the Department of Fine Arts at CUHK; Liu designs and offers a course on modern Chinese ink painting.
Holds a solo exhibition at Luz Gallery in Makati City, Philippines.
Mounts a solo exhibition that travels to the Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Provo; the art gallery of the Utah State University, Logan; and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City-all in Utah, US.
1971
Moves to Hong Kong to teach at the Department of Fine Arts at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
Has his first solo exhibitions in England at the City Art Gallery Bristol and the London gallery Hugh M. Moss, Ltd.
1970
The Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne, Germany (Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst Köln) stages the exhibition Paintings of Liu Kuo-sung, and publishes a German edition of Liu Kuo-sung: The Growth of a Modern Chinese Artist by Li Chu-tsing; the show travels to Museum für Kunsthandwerk in Frankfurt the following year.
Teaches art at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, US, for one semester as a visiting professor upon their invitation.
Liu Kuo-sung at his solo exhibition organized by the Oriental Art Museum in Köln, Germany, 1970.
1969
The one-man show Paintings by Liu Kuo-sung is held at the National Museum of History, Taiwan. An English monograph by US art historian Li Chu-tsing, titled Liu Kuo-sung: The Growth of a Modern Chinese Artist, accompanies the exhibition.
Begins working on his Space series after being inspired by pictures of planet Earth taken the year before from spacecraft Apollo 8; the first work in the series, Which is Earth?, wins first prize at Mainstream '69: The Second Annual Marietta College International Competitive Exhibition for Painting and Sculpture, held at Marietta College, Georgia, US.
1969, “Which is Earth?”, 150 x 78.5 cm
1968
Named Taiwan's “Ten Outstanding Youths”.
Stages a one-man show that travels from the Seattle Art Museum, Washington, to the Taft Museum of Art, Cincinnati, Ohio, both in the US.
1967
Stages his first solo exhibition in New York, US, at Lee Nordness Gallery; it receives a favourable review from New York Times art critic John Canaday. Lee Nordness Gallery begins representing Liu.
Leaves the US for Europe in May, and spends five months there before returning to Taipei in October, where he takes up a teaching position at Chung Yuan Christian College of Science and Engineering.
1966
Second collection of essays Copying, Drawing, Creating, is published by Wen Hsing Bookstore in Taipei, Taiwan.
Authored by Li Chu-tsing and Thomas Lawton, the English edition of Liu's first exhibition catalogue, Paintings by Liu Kuo-sung is published by the National Museum of History, Taiwan.
Receives a two-year travel grant from the John D. Rockefeller III Fund on the recommendation of Chinese art historian Li Chu-tsing.
Participates in the group exhibition The New Chinese Landscape, which travels to leading museums and galleries throughout the US over the course of two years.
Liu with Dr. Fullen, Director of Seattle Museum, 1966
Liu Kuo-sung's first solo exhibition in the U.S., at Laguna Beach Museum of Art, California, 1966. Liu and Museum Director, Dr .Armstrong (front)
Liu Kuo-Sung with Professor Li Zhujin at solo exhibition at the Nelson Atkin Gallery, Kansas, USA, 1966
1965
Liu's first monographic exhibition opens at the National Center of Arts (now the National Taiwan Arts Education Center) in Taipei.
Liu's first collection of essays, The Road to Modern Chinese Painting, is published by Wen Hsing Bookstore in Taipei.
“The Road to Modern Chinese Painting”was published by Wen Hsing Bookstore in Taipei, 1965.
1963
Pioneers the use of rough-fibre cotton paper in ink painting and invents "Kuo-sung Paper," which he uses for his unique technique of "texturing by plucking and flaying."
His work“Clouds Know no Emptiness”was collected by the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the first time his work was collected by museum.
1963, "Clouds Know no Emptiness". 90 x 30 cm
1962
Participates in the 6th Fifth Moon Annual Exhibition. The show was also called Chinese Modern Paintings Exhibition, and is slated to travel the US.
Liu in front of his painting during the 6th FIFTH MOON Exhibition & Chinese Mordern Paintings Exhibition at National Historical Museum, 1962.
1961
Ms.Lee Mo-hua and he were married.
Abandons painting in oil on canvas and returns to using ink and paper, spearheading the modernization of Chinese painting.
Writes an essay to rebut an article titled "The retrogressive trend in modern art" by Hsu Fu-kuan, a Chinese scholar of New Confucianism; this sets off a discursive battle over modern painting.
Liu Kuo-sung and Li Mo-hua during their wedding in Taipei, June 3,1961.
1960
Joins Chung Yuan Christian College of Science and Engineering (now Chung Yuan Christian University) in Taoyuan, Taiwan as a lecturer in its Department of Architecture.
1959
Participated in Brazil's V Bienal de São Paulo and France's Première Biennale de Paris: manifestation biennale et internationale des jeunes artistes. Described as “genius” by France's Le Figaro Newspaper.
Worked at the Architecture Department of Tainan Cheng Gong University as teaching assistant for Professor Guo Bo-chuan.
Becomes one of the editors of Taiwanese monthly Bihui, working with chief editor Yu Tien-tsung.
1957
The first exhibition of the“Fifth Moon Group”opened in Taipei, and initiated a new art movement in Taiwan.
Begins experimenting with applying plaster onto canvas for his oil paintings.
The pamphlet of the first exhibition of “Fifth Moon Group”
In 1958, at the exhibition venue of the Second “Fifth Moon Group Exhibition”. (From the left) Gu Fu-sheng, Liu Kuo-sung, Guo Dong-rong, Huang Xian-hui, and Chen Jing-rong. Liu's mixed media painting “State of Peeling” was hung on the left.
1956
Founded the “Fifth Moon Group” with the encouragement of his professor Liao Jichun.
1955
Graduates top of his class from the Fine Arts Department, NTNU; goes on to fulfill a yearlong teaching internship at Keelung Municipal High School.
Liu receives his BA Degree, 1955.
1954
Publishes his essay "Why Bring Nihonga into Chinese Painting?" in the Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News; Liu would go on to regularly contribute art criticism to journals, magazines and newspapers.
1951
Admitted to the Fine Arts Department at the Taiwan Provincial Teachers' College in Taipei, Taiwan (today the Department of Fine Arts, NTNU).
1949
Moves to Taiwan with the National Revolutionary Military Orphan School,
and subsequently enrolls in the Affiliated Senior High School of Taiwan Provincial Teachers' College in Taipei (today part of the National Taiwan Normal University, NTNU).
Liu with the students of the school for the Nationality Army Descendants. From the left are Liu Yu-chun, Xue Xiang-lan and Li Fu-yi is on the right, 1949.
1948
Qualified and admitted to Nanjing National Revolutionary Army Orphan School.
1938
His father died in the war fighting against Japanese invaders, During the war, Liu took refuge with monther and sister in Hubei, Shanxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi, and other places. The younger sister died during the fleeing.
Liu Kuo-sung with his mother and sister in Wuchang, Hubei province, 1946.
1932
Liu Kuo-sung was born on April 26, in Bangbu, Anhui Province, China.The family was originally from Chingzhou, Shandong Provence.
