Brush and Shutter: Early Photography in China
New Exhibition and Related Events

This new exhibition explores how Chinese painters of the 1800s and early 1900s employed both the ink brush and the camera to adapt the medium of photography to Chinese artistic conventions.

Presenting rare photographs and prints from the special collections of the Getty Research Institute, as well as gouaches and oils on loan from the Kelton Foundation, Brush and Shutter explores how photography was both a witness to the dramatic cultural changes taking place in China and a catalyst to further modernization.

Learn more about this exhibition »

Of Related Interest

Panel Discussion: Focusing on the New China
Thursday, February 10 | 7:00 p.m.

Melissa Chiu, director of the Asia Society Museum, moderates a panel of critics and artists in a discussion about creativity, capitalism, and the conflict between past and present. FREE.

Learn more and make reservations »

Discover early Chinese photography at the Getty
Portrait of Li Hongzhang in Tianjin, 1878, Liang Shitai (also known as See Tay) (Chinese, active in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tianjin, 1870s–1880s), albumen silver print. The Getty Research Institute, 2006.R.1.4
Wu Man in Concert - March 20

Concert: Wu Man
Sunday, March 20 | 1:30 and 3:00 p.m.

Wu Man, the world's leading exponent of the pipa—a Chinese lute-like instrument—has specially designed this program to complement Brush and Shutter. Presented in partnership with the Da Camera Society of Mount Saint Mary's College. Tickets $55.

Learn more and get tickets »

See more events related to Brush and Shutter »