Chu-tsing Li

Arriving at KU in 1966, Dr. Li introduced Chinese art into the art history curriculum and made the department a major center for the study of East Asian art. His recruitment of additional faculty specialists in East Asian art history gave KU the largest number of Asian art specialists in a single department of any university in the United States with the exception of UCLA. Dr. Li's extensive list of publications includes groundbreaking books and articles, in English and Chinese, many of which are still assigned in graduate seminars. 

In 1978, Dr. Li was appointed as the first Judith Harris Murphy Distinguished Professor of Art History in the department. He retired in 1990 with emeritus status, and passed away in September of 2014 at the age of 94.

The KU Endowment Association maintains a fund in Dr. Li's honor, the Chu-tsing Li Award for Graduate Students in Chinese Art.