Maryn Varbanov and Song Huai-Kuei Archive 萬曼與宋懷桂檔案

Maryn Varbanov and Song Huai-Kuei Archive represents some of the couple’s most significant project concepts and moments in their life. The artist couple was legends in art, fashion and contemporary culture in China; their stories tell an extraordinary moment in the modern history of China and its relationship with the outside world. Maryn Varbanov (1932–1989), a prominent figure in tapestry in pre-reform and post-reform China, is a pioneer of the Chinese avant-garde and art education, while Song Huai-Kuei (1937–2006), being unique in visual art and fashion, is iconic of post-reform China.

There are estimated over 5,500 items in this archive including sketches, paintings, drawings, photographic materials, and documents created and collected by the twosome. This archive consists of sketches and drawings of tapestry works by Varbanov, photographic materials of tapestry works and related exhibitions, exhibition catalogues and other published materials collected by Varbanov, and a photographic collection of Song Huai-Kuei which documents her life in visual art and fashion and personal connection and life history, as well as correspondences and documents of the couple.

The Maryn Varbanov and Song Huai-Kuei Archive was donated by the Family of Maryn Varbanov in 2013. M+ is committed to the preservation and to the arrangement and description of the Archive to the highest international standards. As sections of the archive are catalogued, they will be made available on the M+ Collections website.