Mr. Xu Bangda, researcher of the Palace Museum, member of the National Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee, and famous calligraphy and painting appraiser, passed away at 8:38 am on February 23 in Beijing at the age of 100.
Xu Bangda was born in 1911 in Shanghai into a family that collected calligraphy and paintings, and he engaged in art creation in his early years. In 1950, he was transferred to the National Cultural Relics Bureau in Beijing to engage in the appraisal of ancient calligraphy and paintings, and was committed to rebuilding the calligraphy and painting gallery of the Palace Museum. Since 1978, at the invitation of the National Cultural Relics Bureau and the National Cultural Relics Appraisal Committee, Xu Bangda formed a national calligraphy and painting itinerant appraisal expert group with Qi Gong, Xie Zhiliu, and Liu Jiuan, making outstanding contributions to the research of ancient Chinese calligraphy and paintings and the construction of museum undertakings. He is known as one of the three great masters of Chinese calligraphy and painting appraisal, along with Xie Zhiliu and Qi Gong.
In the 1980s, Xu Bangda visited the United States, Australia, Canada, and other countries many times to investigate overseas lost Chinese calligraphy and paintings and conduct academic exchanges with foreign experts, achieving many academic results. Xu Bangda has written extensively throughout his life, and his works such as "An Overview of the Appraisal of Ancient Calligraphy and Paintings", "Examination and Identification of Forgeries in Ancient Calligraphy and Paintings", "Key Records of Observed Ancient Calligraphy and Paintings", "Examination and Identification of Biographies of Calligraphers and Painters Throughout History", "Illustrated History of Chinese Painting", "Recompiled Catalogue of Ancient Calligraphy and Paintings in the Old Collection of the Qing Palace", and "Revised Chronological Table of Paintings Passed Down Throughout History" have had a significant impact in the industry.