- Zao Wou Ki (Zhao Wuji)
Zao Wou-Ki (zh-tsp|t=趙無極|s=赵无极|p=Zhào Wú Jí; born
13 February 1921 inBeijing ) is a Chinese-French painter.Biography
He was born in a cultivated family and studied
calligraphy in hischildhood . Later, he studiedpainting in the school ofFine Arts inHangzhou from1935 to1941 . He went to the block ofMontparnasse inParis , where he followedÉmile Othon Friesz 's classes. His earliest exhibition in France were met with praise fromMiró andPicasso .Career
His works, influenced by
Paul Klee , are orientated toabstraction . He names them with the date in which he finishes them, and in them, masses of colours appear to materialise a creating world, like abig bang , where light structures the canvas. He works often big formats intriptych s anddiptych s.While the style of his works is stylistically similar to theAbstract Expressionists whom he met while travelling in New York, he's also influenced byImpressionism . Zao Wou-ki himself has stated that he is particularly enamored with the works ofCézanne andMatisse .fact|date=May 2007His meeting with
Henri Michaux pushed him to review hisIndian ink techniques, always based in Chinese traditional drawings.Zao Wou-ki is a member of the
Académie des beaux-arts , and is considered one of the most successful Chinese painters alive. One of his paintings recently sold for a record price equivalent to 2 million USD at theSotheby's in Hong Kong. Former French PresidentJacques Chirac was offered a painting by Zao Wu Ki by his ministers during their last meeting. [ [http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-3224,36-907637@51-843695,0.html LeMonde.fr : La "Fondation Jacques Chirac" se mettra en place à l'automne avec Michel Camdessus ] ]As of now Zao Wou-ki has stopped producing new paintings.
elected biographies
*Zao Wou-Ki, "Autoportrait", Fayard, Paris,
1988 .
*Claude Roy, "Zao Wou-Ki", Le Musée de Poche, Editions Georges Fall, Paris,1957 .References
External links
* [http://www.parisbeijing-gallery.com/en/gallery Graphic works (lithographs and etchings) by Zao Wou-ki (Zhao Wuji) at the ParisBeijing Gallery]
* [http://www.asianart.com/exhibitions/zao/index.html Works at the Marlborough Gallery, NYC]
* [http://denisbloch.com/object.php?id=31&title=Montagnes_et_Soleil Mountains and Sun at the Denis Bloch Fine Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, CA]
* [http://home3.inet.tele.dk/mheede/zaowouki.htm Zhao Wuji at Gallery Heede & Moestrup - Copenhagen]
* [http://news.sina.com.cn/cl/2004-04-28/15543174156.shtml 赵无极:在巴黎重新发现中国]
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