Nixi Cura, Course Director for the Arts of China courses at Christie's Education talks about the art market in China, the benefits of studying with Christie's and her favourite art work.
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Tell us how you became the Course Director for the Christie’s Education’s Arts of China course.
The Academic Director, Dr Michael Michael, invited me to apply for the role in 2006.
Tell us what prompted you to start the Master’s course.
I really can’t take the credit for starting the course! Long before the search for someone to fill the role of Course Director, Dr Michael had to gain accreditation from the University of Glasgow, which involved creating the ideal course—from the most basic description to extensive details of course aims, lectures and seminars, bibliographies and assessment. He had the foresight of expanding Christie’s Education offerings to embrace what was then called an ‘emerging market’—no one would call Chinese art ‘emerging’ now!
What can one can expect to discover from taking a postgraduate degree in the Arts of China at Christie’s Education?
Regardless of the level of the student’s prior experience in Chinese art or Sinology, they will learn the important, sometimes surprising, moments and themes in the story of Chinese art. Even beyond this, students will develop creativity in interpreting and displaying objects, whilst immersed in the complex ecosystem of the Chinese art world.
What’s so important about the art market in China at present?
China has had an active art market—both domestic and global. Since at least the 7th century they have made and traded ceramics, luxury goods, calligraphy and painting. I’m fascinated by how the current situation has evolved as ‘New China’ has loosened restrictions on the market. Collectors and dealers from China have reasserted the crucial role art plays in self-cultivation, in circles of sociability and in the economy at large. This includes increasingly intense engagement with all things contemporary, from conceptual art to fine wine.
What are the benefits of studying Chinese art now?
Aside from the intellectual satisfaction - careers in Chinese art are still on an upward trajectory: in China, 100 new museums opened last year, the M+ project in Hong Kong promises four new museums, whilst institutional and private collections continue to expand. The academic community also grows to meet this rising demand in expertise.
What’s special about the course?
Christie’s Education runs the only postgraduate programme (outside China) that focuses on Chinese art. In most programmes, students learn the history of the diapositive, not the history of art. At Christie’s Education, we treat the object as primary evidence, providing as many opportunities as possible to view, handle and analyse works of art. We also emphasise the importance of historical and current art world practice in the circulation of knowledge and the refinement of taste. For example, the course includes a two and a half week study trip to Hong Kong, Taipei and Beijing for the students to see the best collections of Chinese art in the world (often in their original contexts), to meet curators, specialists and collectors from all over Asia, and to experience the buzz of the salerooms.
What kind of educational background do your students tend to have?
At the beginning of each academic year, I’m always excited by the variety of students and the unique dynamic of each class. Some have come straight from university; some have taken some time off to explore the world, whilst others have already established careers. Their training ranges from history of art to anthropology, Asian studies, business, economics, to the performing arts. I even had one student who majored in biology, now a junior specialist in Christie’s Chinese Works of Art! The programme is relatively young—we’re only in our fifth year—but I’m very pleased that most of our alumni are realising their aims to work in an auction house, to work as dealers, to pursue advanced research, or to develop their own collections of Chinese art.
Tell us what a Christie’s Education experience means to you?
As a teacher, I find great satisfaction in catalysing and witnessing the students’ moments of revelation. Though it runs for only a little longer than a year, students are transformed.
What is your favourite art work?
Tough question—my favourites change as I see and learn new things. My third viewing last year of the handscroll Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains by Huang Gongwang (1269-1354) in the National Palace Museum yielded brilliant passages of brushwork of composition I had not noted previously. Very few works beckon you to dwell again and again.
If you could have dinner with any artist (dead or alive) who would it be?
I often joke that I prefer my artists dead, so they wouldn’t have an opportunity to refute my interpretations of their work! As I specialise in visual culture of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), I’ve often come across the issue of how a work by an emperor, along with his commitment to art production, reflects political imperatives versus personal taste. Some might quibble that he wasn’t a fantastic painter and calligrapher, but I wouldn’t mind spending an evening with the Qianlong emperor (r. 1736-1795), preferably in a yurt on one of his hunting trips in the Manchu heartland or his traveling inspections of the great cultural centres along the Yangzi River. Based on records of imperial banqueting, the food might not be too bad, either.
Who inspires you at Christie’s Education?
I have gained inspiration from my fellow Course Directors Richard Plant, Andrew Spira and Lizzie Perrotte, who run the Arts of Europe, Art Style & Design and Modern & Contemporary Art courses, respectively. They have offered invaluable advice and support in helping me maintain the high standards of scholarship, teaching and pastoral care in the Arts of China programme.
Master's - Arts of China
Gain a thorough knowledge of the Arts of China while acquiring experience in artefact analysis, cataloguing, reporting and writing about works of art.
We are now accepting applications for the 2012/2013 academic year.
Short Courses: Exploring the Arts of China
This three-day programme provides an introduction to Chinese art, with empnasis this year on modern and contemporary (18th-21st century) paintings, printed media, decorative arts and conceptual art.
