Ren Tianjin studied under Wang Dongling at China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, where he earned a PhD of Fine Arts. He later obtained a PhD of Business Administration from Grenoble Ecole de Management in France and serves as a Researcher at the Modern Calligraphy Research Centre at China Academy of Art and a Fellow at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley.
Since the 1990s, Ren has lived and worked in both China and the USA, engaging in innovative artistic practices that encompass Chinese calligraphy, painting, and sculpture. The two works in our booth are from the same Buddhism-inspired series as "The Shadow of Wisdom I" in the permanent collection of Art Institute of Chicago, which is also on view in Gallery 108 of the museum. “Taihu Rock: East Wind”, a sculpture shaped to resemble cursive Chinese script “East Wind” (東風), was displayed at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in 2022. And a larger edition from the same series "Taihu Rock: East Garden" was installed permanently at Shanghai Museum's newly-built East Wing. The Porsche Centre in Shanghai had his solo exhibition this year.
Ren's works are part of esteemed collections at renowned museums, art schools, and institutions, including Art Institute of Chicago; Asian Art Museum of San Francisco; Shanghai Museum; China Academy of Art, Hangzhou; Aston Martin Lagonda Limited; BMW; Dowell Group, Shanghai; Moleskine; Ping An Group, Shenzhen, China; Porsche Centre, Handan; Royal Golden Eagle Group, Singapore; Shanghai Industrial Investment Group.
BIOGRAPHY
1962 Born in Shanghai, China
1980s A Doctor of Fine Arts, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China studied under Wang Dongling
A Doctor of Business Administration, Grenoble Ecole de Management, France
1990s Started living and worked in China and USA
2018 Lectured “Art and Collection”, Hang Seng Bank, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, China
2020 Lectured, Boao International Design and Art Summit, Hainan, China
Lectured “Creativity of Broken Circumstances: Innovative Creation of Contemporary Art”, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Sichuan, China
2021 Teacher of Training Workshop, EaDe School, Xi’an, China
Interview, TIF Talk, Shanghai Television Station, Shanghai, China
Lectured “Comparative Study of Innovative Creation in Contemporary Art”, WS Space, Shanghai, China
Lectured “Innovation from Dot & Line Diagrams”, EaDe School, Xi’an, China
Lectured "Art Innovation", Moleskine Store, K11, Shanghai, China
2023 Lectured “Modern Integration of Traditional Culture from Chinese Calligraphy”, Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, Wuhan, China
Lectured “The Art of Communication”, Tian Yu Kong Creative Festival, Beijing, China
Present Lives and works in China and USA
Researcher, Modern Calligraphy Research Centre, China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China
Fellow, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, USA
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
20252020
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2025-20262022
2019
2018
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, USA
Aston Martin Lagonda, London, UK
Moleskine, Milan, Italy
BMW, Munich, Germany
Royal Golden Eagle Group, Singapore
Gold Ascent Enterprises Limited, Singapore
Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, China
Shanghai Industrial Investment Group, Shanghai, China
Dowell Group, Shanghai, China
China Academy of Art, Hangzhou, China
Diaoyutai Hotel, Qingdao, China
BYD Centre, Handan, China
Porsche Centre, Handan, China
Ping An Group, Shenzhen, China
Garfunkel Foundation
