Wu GuanZhong

Wu Guanzhong (1919–2010), a native of Yixing, Jiangsu Province, was one of the most representative figures of 20th-century Chinese modern art and an important art educator. He graduated from the National Academy of Art, where he studied oil painting under Fang Ganmin and Wu Dayu, and traditional Chinese painting under Pan Tianshou, laying a solid foundation in both Chinese and Western art. Wu Guanzhong was the first Chinese artist to be elected a corresponding member of the French Academy of Fine Arts, and he, along with Zhu Dequn and Zao Wou-Ki, were known as the "Three Musketeers of Chinese Art in France."

Wu Guanzhong dedicated his life to exploring the "nationalization of oil painting" and the "modernization of Chinese painting," advocating the reinterpretation of the spirit of traditional Chinese painting using Western modern aesthetic concepts and formal language. During the Cultural Revolution, he was sent to work in the countryside of Hebei Province. Under extremely scarce conditions, he still painted with blackboards and simple paints, using manure baskets as makeshift easels, creating oil paintings depicting rural landscapes. This period, known as the "Manure Basket Period," is particularly significant in art history, demonstrating his unwavering creative belief in the face of adversity.

After China's reform and opening up, Wu Guanzhong further deepened his exploration of ink painting, integrating the composition, color, and rhythm of oil painting to develop a unique "colorful ink painting" style. His works combine the spirit of Chinese culture with modern aesthetic forms, gaining widespread recognition in the international art world. In 1991, the French Ministry of Culture awarded him the "Order of Arts and Letters" in recognition of his outstanding contributions to modern Chinese painting. In 1992, he became the first living Chinese artist to hold a solo exhibition at the British Museum, profoundly influencing Sino-Western art exchange and the development of modern Chinese art.