It is a special characteristic of the art historical research at the China Academy of Art that it originated in the core of an art school. Here, it was developed by artists who believed that their artistic practice needed the support of art history and theory to accompany the necessary reforms in China’s art, culture and society. Founded in 1928 under the advocacy of Cai Yuanpei (1868-1940) and Lin Fengmian (1900-1991), the Academy based its theoretical work on classical literature to cultivate outstanding talents with the academic principles of “品学通,艺理通,古今通,中外通” (knowledge of character and learning, knowledge of art and theory, knowledge of ancient and modern times, and knowledge of China and foreign countries).
As early as the 1920s, the artists therefore brought ideas and concepts from European scholarship to the Academy, in order to sharpen the profile of their own art, which played an important role in China’s modern nation building. Preceded by the Department of Art History (established in 1987), the Advanced School of Art and Humanities (ASAH) was finally founded in 2007. Today, the ASAH consists of two departments of Art History and Visual Culture for the undergraduate level, and four programmes of Art Historiography, Visual Culture and World Art, Art Archaeology, Art History and Theory for graduate levels.
The ASAH presently hosts a number of key academic platforms, including the National Key Art Museum, the China Advanced Research Institute of Art Education, the China Academy of Art Press, the Gombrich and Cahill Memorial Libraries, the journals of New Arts and Pictures Illuminated, as well as overseas workstations in Berlin and Vienna. It maintains long-term academic collaborations with leading institutions such as the Warburg Institute, the National Gallery (London), Freie Universität Berlin, the Palace Museum (Beijing), and the Shanghai Museum, earning high acclaim from the international academic community.
Already since the 1980s, important sources from art history, primarily by English and German authors, have been translated by members of the Academy: Thus, the ideas of Heinrich Wölfflin (1864-1945), Aby Warburg (1866-1929), Erwin Panofsky (1892-1968), Ernst H. Gombrich (1909-2001), Francis Haskell (1928-2000) and Michael Baxandall (1933-2008) lead an important afterlife at the ASAH to this day. Within decades of development, its art historical research has gradually clarified art history as a discipline of the humanities, of image history, of art as an intellectual model and academic study as a source of social energy. In order to broadcast its commitment to international research contexts of art history, the ASAH has created – among other initiatives – a series of platforms, the Ernst H. Gombrich Memorial Lectures, the Pan Tianshou Memorial Lectures, inviting first-class scholars to discuss their insights in Western and Chinese art history. With the joint efforts of all the staff and associates, the Advanced School of Art and Humanities aims at an even broader thematic and international opening as well as at methodological innovations.
Faculty and Staff
·Total faculty and staff: 43
·Professional faculty members: 31
·Professors: 10
·Associate professors: 15
Student Body
·Total students: 484
·Undergraduate students: 225
·Master’s students: 196
·Doctoral students: 63
Dean: Fan Baiding
Associate Dean(s): Jiang He, Dong Jie, Wan Muchun
Email: ysrwxy@caa.edu.cn
Curriculum Overview
·Curriculum Structure
The curriculum employs a dynamic modular system centred on the study of material culture, art theory, and comprehensive interpretation. It aims to cultivate advanced research competencies in image and concept, style and language, art and history, and other areas of high-level academic inquiry. The undergraduate program is structured around the abovementioned modular system that corresponds to the four major directions of graduate admissions - Art Historiography, Visual Culture and World Art, Art Archaeology, Art History and Theory - thereby ensuring a coherent articulation of knowledge from undergraduate to graduate levels.
Year 1: The curriculum is primarily delivered through modular-based "Disciplinary Foundation" courses, with a strong emphasis on historical and theoretical coursework to solidify a robust theoretical grounding.
Years 2 and 3: The curriculum shifts to embedded "Professional Foundation" courses, focusing on essential professional training necessary for art historical research, honing research capabilities, and mastering key bodies of knowledge.
Years 3 and 4: The curriculum advances to thematic "Professional Advanced" courses, which are interdisciplinary in nature and designed to sharpen problem-focused inquiry and synthesize knowledge across disciplines.
