Zao Wou Ki, a painter who was recently the highest-selling living Chinese artist at auction, passed away april 09, 2013 at his home in Switzerland. He was 92.
Zao Wou Ki was born in Beijing in february 13, 1921. Hi studied fine arts in Hangzhou and Chongqing before moving to Paris in 1948. In France, he began to discover Western art styles and became a fixture on the country’s art scene in the second half of the 20th century. However, his career hit a lull in the 1990s, when few of his works were sold and museum interest waned.
Best known for his large abstract oil paintings, Zao also worked in calligraphy, ceramic, and, in later years, watercolors. In 2008 the National Library of France organized a major exhibition of his works on paper that traveled to the Suzhou Museum in China. Two years prior then-president Jacques Chirac made him an officer of the order of the Legion of Honor. His most recent solo exhibition in New York City, “Zao Wou Ki: Paper and China,” took place in 2008 at Marlborough Gallery, which continues to represent him.
Best known for his large abstract oil paintings, Zao also worked in calligraphy, ceramic, and, in later years, watercolors. In 2008 the National Library of France organized a major exhibition of his works on paper that traveled to the Suzhou Museum in China. Two years prior then-president Jacques Chirac made him an officer of the order of the Legion of Honor. His most recent solo exhibition in New York City, “Zao Wou Ki: Paper and China,” took place in 2008 at Marlborough Gallery, which continues to represent him.
Zao Wou Kii was a member of the Académie des beaux-arts , and was considered to have been one of the most successful Chinese painters during his lifetime.
