Wu Guanzhong (1919 – 2010) practiced traditional Chinese ink painting in his early years and later ventured into the colourful realm of oil painting. After furthering his studies in France, he made the deliberate choice to return to China, dedicating his life to exploring the integration of Chinese and Western aesthetics.
In his later years, he rediscovered the monochromatic appeal of ink painting uniquely and profoundly. Wu’s exceptional life experiences and artistic pursuits have transformed the seemingly cool and unexciting black, white, and grey into the most emotionally resonant and captivating tones, imbued with rich connotations encompassing Western design and traditional Chinese aesthetics. This exhibition showcases a fine selection of Wu’s ink and oil paintings in two phases. (source: Hong Kong Museum of Art)
The Artist
Wu Guanzhong (Chinese, 1919–2010) was one of the most renowned Chinese artists of the 20th century, and is widely considered to be the founder of modern Chinese painting. Born in Yixing in the Jiangsu Province, in 1935, he entered the Zhejiang Industrial School, where he studied engineering. In 1936, he transferred to the National Arts Academy of Hangzhou, studying both Chinese and Western painting under Pan Tianshou and Lin Fengmian.
In 1947, Wu received a scholarship and travelled to Paris to study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. During this time, he was greatly inspired by the works of European artists such as Maurice Utrillo, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin, Paul Cézanne, Pablo Picasso, and, in particular, Vincent van Gogh.
Wu Guanzhong had an enduring connection with Hong Kong. He visited Hong Kong on many occasions, hosting art exhibitions, attending academic seminars and talks. Wu highly rated Hong Kong's cultural environment, asserting that Hong Kong was a place of fair and equitable systems where people made practical efforts and valued truth. To him, Hong Kong was a confluence where he could "see both the East and the West at the same time".
Over the course of his career, he held solo exhibitions in major art galleries and museums around the world, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Taipei, South Korea, England, and the United States. In 1992, his paintings were exhibited at the British Museum, marking the first show for a living Chinese artist at that institution. Wu passed away in Beijing at the age of 90.
(Source: https://www.artnet.com/artists/wu-guanzhong/biography https://hk.art.museum/en/web/ma/collections/wu-guanzhongs-paintings-and-personal-archives.html)
Programme
Speaker: English speaking docent commissioned by the Hong Kong Museum of Art
Venue: Wu Guanzhong Art Gallery, 4/F, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Admission: $100 for members, $150 for guests /non-members
Registration: Please email <membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk> and provide your membership number, if applicable, at the time of registration. Please kindly complete your registration by advance payment via Stripe's payment links below (using your Credit Card):
Members ($100): https://buy.stripe.com/7sIeY0dm1dbM5KE3dh
Non-members / Guests ($150): https://buy.stripe.com/bIYaHK95Lc7Ifle016
Details about the other payment option will be sent on registration. Upon receipt of payment, your registration will be confirmed by email. Registration will be closed at 12 noon on 8 July 2024.