Zao Wou-Ki

Art Types involved-in: Oil Painting

Zao Wou-Ki Biography:

Zao Wou-Ki (1921.2.13-2013.4.9, Chinese name 赵无极) was a French-Chinese painter who was born in Beijing. He was awarded “Praemium Imperiale Award for Painting” by the Japanese Art Association, Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur, academician of the Académie des Beaux-Arts and many other honors. 

He held more than 160 solo exhibitions in over 100 countries. His works were highly appreciated and recommended by French President Chirac. In his early days, he studied with Lin Fengmian, a famous Chinese painter. After the influence of western modernist masters such as Picasso, Mattis, Klee when he studied in France in 1948, he turned to the abstract style and was called “the representative of western modern lyrical abstractionism”. 

Created in 1958, his work “Abstraction” is a classical representative work in “the Period of Oracle bone inscription”. This work was bought and collected by School of Art, Institute of Chicago in 1961 and made the new auction record of his works with 89.68 million RMB at the Sotheby’s Beijing Sale, Beijing Art Week, on December, 1st, 2013. At the Sotheby Autumn Auctions, Hong Kong, in the same year, his work “15.01.82 (three joint-pieces)” was sold for 85.24 million Hong Kong dollars.

Zao Wou-Ki's Representative Works Exhibitions:
In 1941, Zao held his first solo exhibition of paintings in the city of Chongqing. 
In May, 1949, he held a solo exhibition of paintings at Galerie Creuze, Paris, France for the first time. 
In 1953 to 1954, he held many exhibitions in France and other countries (Bern, Geneva, Rome, Milan, München, New York…). His Engravings made a great success in the US, and the Cincinnati Museum of Fine Arts held a retrospective exhibition of his engravings. 
In 1961, Zao held solo exhibitions of paintings at Kootz Gallery in New York, and Tokyo Gallery in Tokyo, Japan.
In 1970, Sommerakademie für Bildende Kunst, Salzburger Künstlerhaus, Salzburg, Austria held an exhibition of paintings for him, Galerie Gerald Cramer, Geneva, the Charleroi Museum of Fine Arts and the Galerie de France held exhibitions of paintings for him. 
In 1990 to 1992, Zao’s latest oil paintings and ink paintings were on show at the Galerie Jan Krugier, Geneva.
In 1998, Galerie Thessa Herold held a solo exhibition for him in Madrid. A large-scale retrospective exhibition of Zao Wun-ki was held in Angers, France. His oil paintings were on show at the Musée des Beaux-Arts, his ink paintings were on show at the Palace à Chemillé and his engravings and monographies were on show at the Panzermuseum. The Shanghai Museum of Art held a large-scale retrospective exhibition of his paintings in its three special exhibition rooms, among them were his 105 oil paintings.

Graduation School: Hangzhou Vocational School for Arts

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