Mission Statement

Art Discovery Institute (ADI) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to assist museums, academic research institutions, and other individuals in the art history field to identify the historical, cultural, and artistic significance of particular works of art; and to advance new and evolving art history theories and research.

Art Discovery Institute does not authenticate particular works of art, but works to research their cultural context, origins, discoverable provenance and archival references, and to identify both the physical and aesthetic characteristics of a particular work that may assist in its proper attribution.

ADI publishes art history research and theory concerning lesser known artistic genres, organizes and curates exhibitions, conducts symposia, and provides educational opportunities for young students, resident artists, and visiting scholars specializing in art history.

ADI also houses The China Trade Paintings Digital Images Archive, in cooperation with participating museums and other collectors of these culturally and artistically significant works.


Projects and Resources

ADI projects have included research and publication in the areas of:

  • traditional and ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphy
  • pre-20th century European-influenced Chinese visual art, including art of the so-called “China Trade”
  • Italian Renaissance paintings and art
  • pre- and post-Impressionist paintings of Europe and the United States
  • Modern European and American art of the early and mid- 20th century
  • 19th and 20th century Japanese prints
  • Contemporary American and British landscape painting 
  • Contemporary Chinese art.


ADI holds library and archival resources of more than 300 specialized art books and rare prints. ADI is based in Northern Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C., with access to the resources of several major university libraries and archives, the Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, and The Arthur M. Sackler and Freer Gallery of Art:  the National Museums of Asian Art at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.  ADI presently includes five researchers, including two able to conduct research in the Chinese language, and access to researchers and consultants in China and Taiwan.




Image:  From the Northern Song Dynasty.


Key Words: Ancient Chinese Landscapes; Golden Ratio; Zhang Sengyou (Chang Seng-yu);  Fan Kuan (Fan K'uan); Ma Yuan; Fine Arts; Aesthetics; Zhan Bi; Golden Ratio; Golden-Angled Triangle; Chinese landscape paintings; Composition; Large Axe-Cut ; Da Fu Pi; Fan Kuan (Fan K'uan); Li Tang (Li T'ang); Xia Gui; Dai Jin; Compositional Formats; high distance, deep distance, and level distance; "true landscape".