Tong Yanrunan is a Chinese artist born in 1977.
He got a PhD at the China Academy of Arts, Master students supervisor; Researcher in the Center of Art and Phenomenology Research at CAA;
Art director of the G20 Hangzhou Summit main venue in 2016 (it was the first time when contemporary art have been incorporated into the national ceremonial space. The result has received the highest evaluation from Chairman Xi and from the provincial government. Tong Yanrunan received the Summit Advanced Individual achievement and Outstanding Contribution Award);
Art director of the BRICS Summit main venue in Xiamen in 2017; From childhood began learning painting and calligraphy. He was studying Chinese painting with Mr. Li Keran, calligraphy with Mr. Ouyang Zhongshi, oil painting with Mr. Si Tuli and Mr. Xu Jiang;
Tong Yanrunan devoted the last 19 years to creation of oil painting portraits, hundreds of celebrities have been painted during face to face painting sessions, which is a unique experience in this field of contemporary art in the world; More than ten solo exhibitions have been staged in different countries and in different muse- ums, including the Bonn, Milan Museum of Art and Science, Osage Gallery in Singapore, Today Art Museum.
He participated in more than a hundred group exhibitions held in Le Grand Palais, Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Art Museum of China, National Museum of Mongolia, National Museum of the Philippines, etc.. He cooperated with Galleria d’Arte Maggiore, Marlborough Gallery, Osage Gallery. He participated in Art Basel, TEFAF, other art fairs; His paintings have been collected by individuals and museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in Moscow, Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, National Art Museum of China, China Arts Museum, etc..
He has planned numerous academic exhibitions, published six individual albums, essays, dozens of course books and completed a number of national projects. He is a consultant for collection funds with billions of dollars turnover. Tong Yanrunan works closely with a big number of well-known international art museums and art institutions.
In recent years, Tong Yanrunan has been exploring the source of Chinese culture and art in the way of contemporary activation. He is planning series of exhibitions and projects with large-scale research and promotion in the sense of national cultural strategy. With the goal to involve interdisciplinary scholars in plastic arts, design, art theory and cultural industry.
Tong Yanrunan is a famous artist as well as an Associate Professor and PhD at the China Academy of Arts. His celebrated oil paintings include portraits of celebrities and global leaders from around the world. These personalized, face to face modelling sessions have taken place over the last 19 years and are a way for him to express his devotion to the spirit of Shan shui. His practice is a rethinking of contemporary art that has allowed him to establish a unique position in the world of art.
Tong Yanrunan’s work differs from modern smartphone programmes that apply the perfect finish to our photos; instead, he steps away from external embellishments and seeks to lead the viewer back to the essential, to the beginning of the universe – an experience where one can sense the connection of earth and sky. This experience of the cosmos allows us to realign our inner experience to our true state, a state that is our original source of motivation. From this we can reflect upon our lives from the shelter of our heart.
Exclusive to your portrait session, your unforgettable experience will allow you to feel the artist’s creative enthusiasm. Through the reflection of this creation you will observe your portrait as it appears on the white canvas.