Goldberg Lecture - Pop and the People: Re-thinking Wang Guangyi's Great Criticism series

On Thursday, February 29, 2024 the Department of History of Art and Architecture is excited to present the Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Lecture in Art History - Pop and the People: Re-thinking Wang Guangyi's Great Criticism series. Guest Lecturer Associate Professor of Art History and Asian Studies at Bowdoin College, Peggy Wang, will present this talk in 203 Cohen Memorial Hall, with a reception to follow. This event is free and open to the public.

Wang Guangyi's Great Criticism series escalated to international fame in the 1990s. Cast as a representative of contemporary Chinese art at large, its global renown both emerged from and contributed to tired tropes of political dissidence. Often held up as a darling of the art market, Wang Guangyi has been criticized for issuing a politicized and essentialized ‘Chineseness’ to cater to foreign audiences. Associate Professor Peggy Wang argues that blame that has been cast on the artist should instead be shouldered by the narrow interpretations that have accompanied Great Criticism’s widespread circulation. This talk looks at what has been oversimplified and missed in readings of these iconic images. By uncovering new meanings for these works, this talk considers the broader stakes of interpretation in a Western-centered global art world. 

This event is sponsored by the Department of History of Art and Architecture and the Department of Asian Studies.