He Xiangning: Ink & Intent at National Gallery Singapore

From April 1 to August 23, 2026, the National Gallery Singapore hosted He Xiangning: Ink & Intent, the most extensive exhibition of the artist’s work ever mounted outside China. Organized in partnership with the He Xiangning Art Museum in Shenzhen, the show brought together more than fifty paintings and archival materials, underscoring both the artist’s ties to Southeast Asia and the spirit of cultural exchange between the two institutions.

As a retrospective, the exhibition unfolded chronologically, allowing visitors to trace the evolution of He’s practice across distinct phases of her life. This structure proved illuminating: her art was inseparable from the political upheavals and personal trials she endured, yet she consistently remained rooted in the tradition of ink painting. The curators also emphasized her biography and her unique female perspective on China’s turbulent twentieth century—an angle particularly resonant for international audiences.

Born in 1878 into a prominent Hong Kong family, He Xiangning defied the strictures of imperial society from an early age. She secretly studied her brothers’ books and rejected the practice of foot-binding, a decision that marked her as unconventional and unmarriageable by the standards of the time. Her marriage to Liao Zhongkai, a progressive thinker born in California, brought her to Japan, where the couple encountered Sun Yat-Sen. It was Sun who recognized her talent and encouraged her to pursue painting. She studied art in Japan before returning to China, where she became a leading figure of the Lingnan school.

One of the highlights from this period is Lion (1914), chosen as the exhibition’s poster image. The white whiskers, a technique learned in Japan, lend the animal a striking realism. The lion, symbolizing China’s strength and pride, appears meek—a metaphor for the nation’s imminent awakening and its struggle for independence from colonial and imperial powers.

After her husband’s assassination in 1925, He withdrew from public office, but her personal grief intertwined with her sorrow over Chinese politics under her rival, Chiang Kai-shek. From this period comes the series of pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms. This is a famous motif in Chinese tradition, called suihan sanyou, the “Three Friends of Winter.” Pine and bamboo remain green in winter, while plum blossoms are among the first to bloom after the cold season. These representations are laden with meaning, referring to strength, resilience, and beauty in adversity.

In 1929 He left China, exhibiting in Manila and Singapore before moving to Paris, where her career flourished. Yet the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931 compelled her to return to Shanghai, where she organized resistance movements. Subsequent years saw her fleeing to Hong Kong and Guilin, enduring further hardship.

With the end of the war and the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949, He re-entered public life in Beijing, holding senior positions in the new government. Her art of the 1950s and 1960s embraced vivid colors and collaborative projects, with landscapes and nature gaining prominence. She passed away in Beijing in 1972 at the age of 94.

The exhibition’s final section showcased works from this later period, including Appreciating the Snow (1962), created with Fu Baoshi. Here, winter is no longer a symbol of hardship but of quiet joy: the central figure, painted by Fu at He’s request, turns back to admire the falling snow. It is a poignant reimagining of a theme she had long explored, now imbued with serenity rather than struggle.

Ultimately, Ink & Intent revealed an extraordinary artist whose life and work were profoundly shaped by history. What made the exhibition compelling was its ability to be read on multiple levels—artistic, biographical, and political—each reinforcing the other. It was not only a showcase of He Xiangning’s mastery of ink painting but also a testament to her resilience, vision, and enduring relevance.