Jiang Baolin

Jiang Baolin was born in Penglai, Shandong, in 1942, and is an important contemporary landscape painter. In 1959, he studied landscape painting, flower-and-bird painting, figure painting, calligraphy, and seal carving under He Baozhen (1904–1987) and Chen Shourong (1916–2003). From 1962 to 1967, he studied at Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (now the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou), where he was taught by Pan Tianshou (1897–1971), Lu Weizhao (1899–1980), Lu Yanshao (1909–1993), and Gu Kunbo (1905–1970). In 1979, he received a master’s degree in landscape painting from Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, where he also received personal guidance from Li Keran (1907-1989). Jiang builds his works through layered ink and colour, with interwoven dots and lines creating a dense. In particular, his iconic baimiao (line-drawing) paintings remain among his most recognisable achievements. Unlike traditional baimiao, he abandons texture and shading, reducing the image to abstract rhythmic lines.

In 1983, he co-founded the Zhejiang Landscape Painting Research Society and served as its vice chairman. In 1994, he was professor at China Academy of Art in Hangzhou and became a member of China Artists Association. In the same year, he also served as director of the board of Zhejiang Painting Academy and became a member of the Cui Zifan International Art Foundation. In 1996, he was invited to serve as a visiting professor at Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing. 

He currently lives and works in Beijing. Jiang is a doctoral supervisor at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, a board member and researcher at China National Academy of Painting, vice president of the Li Keran Academy of Painting, honorary president of the Zhejiang Grand Canal Silk Culture Research Institute, and honorary chairman of the Zhejiang Landscape Painting Research Society.

Since the 1980s, Jiang has held numerous solo and group exhibitions in France, Japan, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and has received many awards, including the Outstanding Work Award at the 1st Beijing International Ink Painting Exhibition, China, 1988; the Government Prize at the 26th Monte Carlo International Painting Grand Prix, Monaco, 1992; the Freeman Foundation First Prize for Artistic Creation by the Vermont Studio Center, USA, 1999; as well as the Silver Award at the 9th National Art Exhibition in China, also 1999; the Silver Willow Leaf Award at Cambridge Xu Zhimo Poetry and Art Festival, UK, 2017; and was named an Outstanding Artist in the Inaugural Forbes China Cultural Figures Selection, China, 2024.

Alisan Fine Arts began representing Jiang Baolin in 1989. His works were included in two important group exhibitions organized by the gallery at Hong Kong Arts Centre: Modern Chinese Paintings: A Selection from Beijing, Hangzhou and Sichuan in 1989, and Landscapes, Figures, Flowers & Birds: Variation from China in 1990. In 1994, the gallery held his first solo exhibition, Jiang Baolin, and in 1996, his works were shown at the International Asian Art Fair in New York. In 2026, Alisan celebrates its 45th anniversary with the exhibition series "Then and Now," featuring the group exhibition Tradition Renewed: Contemporary Literati Masters showcasing Jiang's early works in 1990s.

His works are held in the collections of several important political institutions in Beijing, such as Great Hall of the People, Beijing; Chairman Mao Memorial Hall; Qinzheng Hall of Zhongnanhai; General Office of the State Council; and art museums National Art Museum of China; China National Academy of Arts; Central Academy of Fine Arts; as well as China Academy of Art, Hangzhou; Tianjin Museum; Jiangsu Art Museum; and Hong Kong Heritage Museum.