LI KERAN (1907-1989)

This present painting belonged to a distinguished American diplomat with an illustrious career in the Foreign Service. A scholar of Chinese language and culture, he was stationed in Taiwan from the late 1950s to the early 1960s, where he studied traditional painting and began to collect Chinese art. In addition to Chinese, he spoke French, Russian, and Arabic, and served in diplomatic postings around the world, as well as in the State Department in Washington DC. He subsequently served as a representative of the United States to the United Nations from the late 1970s to the early 1980s and continued to consult for non-governmental organisations upon his retirement from public service. The painting has remained in the family for over four decades.