Wu Guanzhong, important 20th century Chinese artist dies at 90

Wu Guanzhong, a Chinese painter who was recognized worldwide for introducing Western art in the East-which very few were able to do because of the closed culture that exists passed away June 25 in Beijing at the age of 90.

He based his style on French impressionism but used black ink on white paper, which is very common in Chinese art. This led him to be recognized as one of the most important figures of the twentieth century in his country.

Wu Guanzhong was born on August 29, 1919 in the city of Yixing and although he began studying engineering, his soul was bound to painting. For this reason, a year later left school and moved to the National Academy of Arts.

But everything changed when he travelled to Paris in ’47 to study at the National School of Fine Arts through a state grant. His vision took a 180 degree turn and he became interested in Impressionism.

At that time Mao Zedong´s communist regime was at the height of its fervour and while many colleagues decided to stay in France in order to avoid it, he returned to his homeland.

Thereafter began his real recognition. From the 50´s onwards, Wu began to introduce European art to a country that was dominated by social realism and although he suffered the persecution of the Cultural Revolution and was sent to a re-education camp, he continued to fight for the impressionism and art that he had fallen in love with. Today you can rent apartments in Paris to visit all the museums that house the works of painters on which he based his art.

His exhibitions were prohibited during Maoism and only in the late 70s could he begin to publicly display his works. In 1991, the French Ministry of Culture awarded him the Order of Arts and Letters, and 1992 he became the first Chinese artist to exhibit in the British Museum in London.