At the age of 16, Wu was on the track to becoming an engineer and enrolled at the Zhejiang Industrial School. Fortunately for the art world, he transferred after a year to the National Arts Academy of Hangzhou where he studied Chinese and Western painting. In 1947, Wu received a government-sponsored scholarship to study at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts in Paris.

Wu Guanzhong, A Fishing Harbour, 1991. Ink and colour on paper, 69 x 99cm. Collection of National Heritage Board.

Wu’s academic background in both Western and Eastern paintings provided him with a unique style – a style that combined teachings from both regions. His paintings are said to have the color techniques and formal principles of Western paintings, but spirit and ink tones that are more Chinese. It was his synthesis of oil and ink art forms that gave Wu his artistic edge.

Wu Guanzhong, Jungle at the Foot of the Yulong Mountains, 1978. Oil on board, 76 x 65cm. Collection of National Heritage Board

Wu faced the difficult challenge of teaching art during the Cultural Revolution in China. After introducing his students to Western art at the Central Academy of Art in Beijing, Wu was labeled "a fortress of bourgeois formalism". He was banned from painting, writing and teaching in 1966 during the Cultural Revolution. It was only when Mao passed away in 1976 that Wu was allowed to return back to his art.

Wu’s work has been showcased all around the world. In 1992, Wu became the first living Chinese artist to have his painting exhibited at the the British Museum. His work has been shown at the Metopolitan Museum of Art and at the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

In 2008, the National Art Gallery received a generous gift from Wu: 113 of his oil and ink paintings. To date, his gift remains the highest valued donation of art to any museum in Singapore.

Wu Guanzhong passed away on June 25, 2010 at the age of 91. He will be remembered in the Singapore art scene for his magnificent talent and generosity.

Source: China Online Museum