CALENDAR BEAUTY (circa 1920-30) vintage calendar posters from China was published on the occasion of the exhibition “CALENDAR BEAUTY” held at 50 GLADSTONE AVENUE between February 2 to 29, 2020. An exhibition with selection from the collection of Holly Lee and Lee Ka-sing.

This publication covers all work from the exhibition, plus rich additional informations. The root of Beauty Calendar (Beauty yuèfènpái), a popular wall-hung art in China around 1910 to 1940, can be traced back to the 13th century Song dynasty. In the wake of the 20th Century, when China was forced to open its door for commerce with countries of the West, the ‘Year Painting’ form of aesthetics was borrowed to effective use - to combine art with advertising for many imported, as well as locally made products. The content of the year paintings, besides drawing ideas from historical events, operas and famous novels, in order to attract more audience, began to feature beautiful women posed in cheongsams. In between the 20s to 50s, when the calendar/poster were much sought after, it had nourished a group of painters, crossing over from traditional Chinese painting to blend with Western technique.