In 2018, Weng made the largest gift of Chinese paintings and calligraphy to the MFA in the institution’s history, comprising 183 objects that were acquired and passed down through six generations of his family. This exhibition features approximately 20 works from the gift that relate to concepts of family and friends.

“Weng Family Collection of Chinese Painting: Family and Friends” includes paintings and calligraphy by some of the greatest masters from the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties. The intimate Suzhou Sceneries (1484–1504) album describes Shen Zhou’s travels with friends around his home regions. The calligraphy in Nine Letters to Home (1523), written by Wen Zhengming to his wife and sons, displays a spontaneity of style rarely found in the artist’s more formal works. The most recent piece in the exhibition is a handscroll painted by Wan-go H. C. Weng himself, Elegant Gathering at the Laixiju Studio (1990). The contemporary work commemorates a momentous gathering of friends—including six esteemed historians of Chinese paintings—held at the collector’s home in 1985.