Chu Teh-Chun

Chu Teh-Chun was a preeminent master of Chinese modern abstraction and the first ethnic Chinese member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in France. Educated at the Hangzhou National Academy of Art under Lin Fengmian, Chu established a rigorous foundation in both traditional Chinese painting and Western sketching. His relocation to Paris in 1955 marked a pivotal turning point; inspired by the work of Nicolas de Staël, he abandoned figurative representation in favor of pure abstraction.

Starting in the 1960s, Chu developed a unique visual language that synthesized the rhythmic vitality of Chinese calligraphy with the rich textures of Western oil painting. His compositions evoke the grandeur of monumental landscapes through fluid brushwork and a luminous sense of transparency, translating the spirit of traditional "Shanshui" into a poetic, modern abstract space. From the 1970s onward, his mastery of light became even more pronounced, featuring jewel-like hues and eruptions of radiance that captured the ephemeral forces of nature. His work has been celebrated by scholars as a contemporary resonance of the Song Dynasty landscape spirit.

Chu’s international prestige is marked by his election to the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1997, standing at the pinnacle of the Western art establishment. In 2024, on the occasion of the 60th Venice Biennale, the major solo exhibition CHU Teh-Chun. In Nebula was held at the Fondazione Cini in Venice, reaffirming the enduring resonance of his vision. His work is held in the permanent collections worldwide, including the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris; the Musée Guimet, Paris; the British Museum, London; the Shanghai Art Museum; the Guangdong Museum of Art, the National Museum of History, Taipei; and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.