Chu Teh-Chun

Chu Teh-Chun, born on October 24, 1920 and died in Paris on March 26, 2014, is known for integrating traditional Chinese painting techniques with Western abstract art and for helping to revolutionize modern Chinese art alongside Wu Guanzhong and Zao Wou-Ki. Read the biography

Biography

Born in Baitou Zhen, China, in 1920, Chu Teh-Chun entered the Hangzhou National School of Fine Arts in 1935 .

He first devoted himself to the traditional Chinese style before turning to Western painting. In the 1940s, he taught at Nanjing University and moved to Taipei in 1949. After visiting Egypt and developing a passion for the country's art, Chu Teh-Chun moved to Paris in 1955. There, he painted landscapes and frequented many important artistic venues, such as the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where he also drew. From 1956 onwards, Chu Teh-Chun's works enjoyed success in Paris and he began to exhibit abroad, notably in Jerusalem, Sao Paulo and Athens. During these years, he devoted himself to abstraction, with works such as Ocean Love.

In the 1970s, he renewed his contact with Chinese artists, returning to Beijing in 1983, where his paintings met with renewed success: the National History Museum in Taipei devoted a retrospective to him in 1987. He exhibited paintings on ceramic at the Bouquinerie de l'Institut in spring 2003, and the Pinacothèque de Paris devoted an exhibition to him in 2010. He died in Paris on March 26, 2014. 

Today, Chu Teh-Chun is renowned for integrating traditional Chinese painting techniqueswith Western abstract art. He helped revolutionize modern Chinese art alongside Wu Guanzhong and Zao Wou-Ki.

You can see some of his physical works in our our art gallery in Paris.