Tang Zibo

CHINA, Beijing, Tongzhou

Orignally named Youyi and also known as Mianren, Tang Zibo was born in Tongxian, Hebei (present day Tongzhou, Beijing). He specialized in the art of sculpting clay figurines. He began working as an artist when he was 17 years old and mastered the art of sculpture with materials such as metals, stone, clay, and wood. He also created replicas of curio cabinets, antiques, and ceramic figurines. Tang is known for transforming the traditional clay figurine to the modern tabletop style.
Tang traveled to various temples and the Yungang Grottoes to study the facial expressions and hand gestures of the Buddhist statues, from which he was able to create his own copies. In 1922, he won the first place prize in the Panama Competition and the Jinbu Handicrafts Competition. Tang was later invited to teach at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 1949.
Clay sculptures by Tang are lively and broadly themed. His work Clay Art in a Nutshell was a series which displayed such stories as the Three Battles of Lu Bu and Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove using vividly sculpted miniature clay figurines. Buddhist art by Tang includes sculptures of Heavenly King, Bodhidharma, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and the Eighteen Arhats. He also published Clay Art Collection of Tang Zibo.