Former Residence of Liu Haisu

Former Residence of Liu Haisu

Former Residence of Liu Haisu – This was the home of the master painter Liu Haisu in 1935. He founded China’s first art school, the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, and was a strong advocate for life drawing with nude models. He explored the innovation of traditional Chinese painting and the nationalization of oil painting, painted at Huangshan Mountain ten times, and excelled in painting, poetry, and calligraphy.

Liu Haisu, originally named Pan, courtesy name Jifang, also known as Haiweng, was born in March 1896 in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, with ancestral roots in Fengyang, Anhui. He specialized in oil painting, traditional Chinese painting, and art education. From an early age, he had a deep passion for painting and calligraphy. At the age of fourteen, he went to Shanghai to study Western painting at the Background Painting School run by Zhou Xiang. In 1910, he opened a painting school in his hometown. In November 1912, together with Wu Shiguang and Zhang Yuguang, he founded the first modern art school in China, the “Shanghai National Academy of Fine Arts” (the predecessor of the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts), where he served as the principal. He pioneered co-education for male and female students, introduced life drawing with nude models and plein air painting, earning the label of “art traitor,” though he gained the support of scholars such as Cai Yuanpei. In 1918, he lectured at Peking University and held his first solo art exhibition. In 1919, he traveled to Japan to study art education and, upon returning to China, founded the Tianma Art Association.

He served successively as president, honorary president, and professor of the Nanjing Academy of Arts; honorary chairman of the Shanghai Artists Association; consultant of the China Artists Association; and standing committee member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. The International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, UK, awarded him the “Outstanding Achievement Award.” The European Academy of Italy presented him with the “European Palm Gold Award.” His published works include Liu Haisu’s Painting Collection, Selected Oil Paintings of Liu Haisu, Liu Haisu’s Traditional Chinese Paintings, and Essentials of Learning to Paint.

Address: No. 512, Fuxing Middle Road, Luwan District, Shanghai

Type: Former Celebrity Residence

Opening Hours:

The residence is currently under renovation and not open to the public.