Art, Design & Fashion
Distinguished
Wu Guanzhong
1919 β 2010
Painter who fused Chinese ink and Western modernism
Distinguished is level 3 of 4 in the China Hall of Fame: sustained excellence over a career, widely honoured at home. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
A painter who joined the traditions of Chinese ink painting with the forms of Western modernism, producing spare, rhythmic landscapes of southern China.
Wu Guanzhong studied in Paris after the Second World War and returned to China in 1950. Criticised for formalism and barred from painting during the Cultural Revolution, he became one of the most influential artists of the reform era.
He donated many of his works to museums in mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
He donated many of his works to museums in mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore.
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