Wu Guanzhong

Wu Guanzhong (1919–2010), born in Yixing, Jiangsu, was one of the most influential figures in twentieth-century Chinese modern art and an important educator. He graduated from the National Academy of Arts, studying oil painting under Fang Ganmin and Wu Dayu and Chinese painting under Pan Tianshou, establishing a strong foundation in both Eastern and Western artistic traditions. Wu was the first Chinese artist elected as a Corresponding Member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts of the Institut de France. Together with Zao Wouki and Chu Tehchun, he was also celebrated as one of the "Three Musketeers" of the École de Paris. 

Throughout his career, Wu explored the "nationalization of oil painting" and the "modernization of Chinese painting," seeking to reinterpret traditional Chinese art through Western modernism. During the Cultural Revolution, despite severe material constraints, he continued painting rural landscapes in Hebei, producing works associated with his significant "Manure Basket" period and demonstrating his unwavering commitment to artistic creation.

Following China’s reform and opening, Wu further explored ink painting, integrating the composition, color, and rhythm of oil painting to develop his distinctive caimo (color-ink) style. His work bridges Chinese cultural traditions and modern formal aesthetics. In 1991, he was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, and in 1992, he became the first living Chinese artist to hold a solo exhibition at the British Museum, leaving a lasting influence on modern Chinese art and cultural exchange between East and West.