Craig Clunas, “Screen of Kings: Royal Art and Power in Ming China” (University of Hawaii Press, 2013)

Craig Clunas's 'Screen of Kings' examines members of the Ming imperial clan (Wang) and reframes Ming space by mapping their 'states' (guo), arguing these regional royal figures played central roles in art production and cultural authority. The book blends textual, archaeological, and visual evidence—including calligraphy, painting, tomb finds, and local memory—to recover the visibility and invisibility of kings and their households. Clunas challenges Jiangnan-centered narratives of Ming culture, showing how kings acted as cultural replicators and local power brokers across China. He emphasizes methodological shifts: looking beyond canonical texts and collections to local archives, material culture, and gendered invisibilities to trace agency. The volume is richly illustrated and written for both specialists and wider audiences, with case studies linking past practices to contemporary regional memory and material remains.

Craig Clunas's 'Fruitful Sites' investigates the cultural significance of gardens in late imperial China, analyzing how garden spaces shaped aesthetic practices and social interactions among elites. The book situates gardens within broader discourses of taste, literati culture, and visual representation, showing how landscape design reflected intellectual and artistic values. Clunas combines textual sources, visual analysis, and material evidence to explore the symbolic and practical roles of gardens. The work highlights the intersection of private space and public cultural life in Ming and Qing China, contributing to scholarship on environment and art. Its interdisciplinary approach helped establish Clunas's reputation beyond museum-focused studies.

In 'Superfluous Things', Craig Clunas explores the culture of collecting, taste, and material objects among the Ming literati, particularly focusing on the circle of the painter Wen Zhengming. The book investigates how objects functioned socially and culturally, illuminating practices of display, exchange, and connoisseurship in late imperial China. Clunas uses close readings of paintings, objects, and writings to show how material things mediated relationships and identities among elite communities. The work contributed to rethinking Chinese art history by emphasizing everyday objects and the social life of material culture. It remains influential for scholars studying Ming art, collecting, and visual culture.

Linda Nochlin's groundbreaking essay challenges the art world's gender biases by questioning the very foundations of art history and the concept of 'greatness. ' Nochlin dismantles the myth of individual genius, arguing that social institutions and education systems historically favored men, creating unequal opportunities for women in the arts. She examines the structural barriers that prevented women from achieving the same recognition as their male counterparts, including limited access to training, resources, and patronage. By interrogating the canon and exposing the systemic inequalities, Nochlin calls for a reevaluation of art history and a recognition of the contributions of women artists. Her work remains a cornerstone of feminist art theory and continues to inspire critical discussions about gender and representation in the arts.