ZAO WOU-KI

Born in Beijing, Zao Wou-Ki (1920-2013) worked predominantly in oils, watercolor and ink, but also experimented with engraving and lithography. Wou-Ki means ‘no limits’ in Chinese – a prescient forename for an artist who embraced different cultural identities without ever being beholden to one. In 1948, Zao relocated to Paris. The French capital was an inspiration for Zao, who had idolized Matisse and Picasso in his formative years and continued to be influenced by Western modernism and the work of the Impressionists and Expressionists. Zao is considered to have been one of the most successful painters born in China of his generation, with his paintings widely recognized as an exemplary reconciliation of Chinese and Western aesthetics, in which the language of modern Western abstraction is enriched by a Chinese chord deeply rooted in the past. Zao’s work has been celebrated in numerous museum shows around the world, including most recently the Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris, France; the Asia University Museum of Modern Art, Taichung, Taiwan; Asia Society Museum, New York, USA; the Nantong Museum, China; and STPI, Singapore, amongst several others. 

AVAILABLE ARTWORKS

Past Exhibitions

2018–2019
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2018-2019:
Zao Wou-Ki. L’espace est silence, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France (solo exhibition)

2018
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2018:
Zao Wou-Ki. Watercolor. Ink on paper. Porcelain, Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York, United States (solo exhibition)

2017–2018
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2017-2018:
Infinites of Zao Wou-Ki, Asia University Museum of Modern Art, Taichung, Taiwan (solo exhibition)

2017
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2017:
Willem De Kooning - Zao Wou-Ki, Lévy Gorvy Gallery, New York, New York, United States

2016–2017
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2016-2017:
No Limits: Zao Wou-Ki, Asia Society Museum, New York, New York; traveled to Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine (solo exhibition)

2015
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2015:
Zao Wou-Ki, la lumière et le soufflé, Musée d’art de Pully, Pully, Switzerland (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-Ki: Estampes – Peintures, Centre culturel de Chine à Paris, France (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-Ki, Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, Switzerland (solo exhibition)

2014
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2014:
Zao Wou-Ki: Retrospettiva 1920 – 2013, Pinacoteca comunale de Locarno, Locarno, Switzerland (solo exhibition)

2013
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2013:
Important Contemporary Chinese Artists, Alisan Fine Arts ART HK 12, Hong Kong, China

2012
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2012:
The Prints of Zao Wou-Ki, Oriental Art & Cultural Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (solo exhibition)

2010
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2010:
Zao Wou-Ki, Fundação Arpad Szenes, Lisbon, Portugal (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-Ki, Prieuré de Saint Cosme, Indre-et Loire, France (solo exhibition)

2009
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2009:
Zao Wou-Ki: Céramiques et oeuvres sur papier, Marlborough Monaco, Monte-Carlo, Monaco (solo exhibition)
Celebrating Zao Wou-Ki, French May Festival, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong, China (solo exhibition)

2008
Zao Wou-Ki Selected Exhibitions in 2008:
Zao Wou-Ki, Prints and Illustrated Books, Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris, France; traveled to Suzhou Museum, Suzhou City, China (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-Ki: Hommage à Riopelle et peintures récentes, Musée National des Beaux-arts du Québec, Québec, Canada (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-Ki: Paper + China, Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-Ki Retrospective, Bilbiothèque nationale de France, Paris, France (solo exhibition)
Château de Nemours, France

2007
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 2007:
Zao Wou-Ki, Paintings, Works on Paper, Ceramics 1947-2007, Chateau Musée de Nemours, France (solo exhibition)
Château de Nemours, France
Exploration: New Ink Art Shanghai, 3rd Shanghai Ink Biennial, Zhu Qizhan Art Museum, Shanghai, China (solo exhibition)
Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China 2007, Central Library, Hong Kong, China

2006
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 2006:
Art & Imitation in China, The University of Hong Kong, China (solo exhibition)
Black and White Dream - India Ink, Suzhou Museum, Suzhou City, China (solo exhibition)

2005
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 2005:
Zao Wou-Ki, Paintings and India Ink, 1948-2005, Espace Bellevue, Biarritz, France (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-ki Retrospective, Bridgestone Museum, Tokyo, Japan (solo exhibition); Bellevue, Biarritz, France (solo exhibition)

2004
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 2004:
Zao Wou-Ki, Bridgestone Museum of Art, Ishibashi Foundation, Tokyo, Japan (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-Ki, The Quest of Silence: Paintings, Musée des Beaux Arts, Dunkerque, France (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-Ki, Homages, Musée Fabre, Montpellier, France (solo exhibition)
Prints and Illustrated Books, Musée du Dessin et de l’Estampe Originale, Gravelines, France (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-ki Retrospective, Musée des beaux-arts, Dunkerque, France (solo exhibition)

2003
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 2003:
Retrospective Zao Wou-ki curated by Markku Valkonen, Taidehalli, Helsinki, Finland (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-ki Recent Works, Marlborough Gallery, New York,NY, USA (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-ki Watercolours, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong, China (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-ki Retrospective, Musée du Jeu de Paume, Paris, France (solo exhibition)

2002
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 2002:
Signe(s) (regard crise sur des encres d’Henri Michaux à Zao Wou-ki), Kamel Mennour Gallery, Paris, France (solo exhibition)

2001
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 2001:
Zao Wou-Ki: Recent Inks, Institut Français, Barcelona, Spain (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-ki Retrospective, IVAM Centre Julio Gonzalez, Valencia, Spain (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-ki Retrospective, Musée d'Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium (solo exhibition)

2000
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 2000:
Zao Wou-ki, Fuji Television Gallery, Tokyo, Japan (solo exhibition)
Musée du Petit-Palais, Paris, France

1999
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 1999:
Zao Wou-Ki, Paintings of the Last 20 Years, Centre d’Art Plastiques, Royan, France (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-ki Works in Ink 1953-1999 Writing Room, Figeac, France (solo exhibition)
Maîtres de l’Encre: Chang Dai-Chien, T’ang Haywen, Zao Wou-ki, Musée de Pontoise, Paris, France
Zao Wou-ki Graphic Works, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong, China (solo exhibition)
Zao Wou-ki 60 Years of Painting, Retrospective exhibition at the Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, China; Palace of Fine Arts, Beijing, China; Museum of Art, Guangzhou, China (solo exhibition)

1998
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 1998:
Galerie Thessa Herold, Madrid, Spain
Zao Wou-Ki, Retrospective, organized by Association Française d’Action Artistique, L’Oréal and the Shanghai Museum of Art, Shanghai, China; traveled to the Chinese Palace of Fine Arts, Beijing, China; and Palace of Fine Arts, Canton, China (solo exhibition)
Paintings, India Ink, Prints, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Angers, France (solo exhibition)

1997
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 1997:
Galerie Krugier-Ditesheim & Cie, Geneva, Switzerland (solo exhibition)
Lin & Keng Gallery, Taipei, China (solo exhibition)
Galerie Thessa Herold, Paris, France (solo exhibition)

1996
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 1996:
Zao Wou-Ki, A Retrospective, Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan, China (solo exhibition)
Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, China (solo exhibition)
Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong, China (solo exhibition)
Art Galerie J. Bastien, Brussels, Belgium (solo exhibition)
Jan Krugier Gallery, New York, NY, USA (solo exhibition)

1995
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 1995:
Henri Michaux/Zao Wou-ki, une rencontre-une amitié Galerie Lucien Schweitzer, Luxembourg

1994
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 1994:
Zao Wou-Ki, Cuarenta años de pintura, 1954-1994, Centro Cultural de Arte Contemporáneo, Mexico City, Mexico (solo exhibition)
Paintings and Drawing in Indian Ink, Centro Cultural de Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City, Mexico (solo exhibition)

1993
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 1993:
Zao Wou-Ki Retrospective, The Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan (solo exhibition)
First gallery exhibition in Hong Kong, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong, China (solo exhibition)

1992
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 1992:
Works from 1980s, 1990s, Artcurial Gallery, Paris, France

1990
Zao Wou-Ki Exhibitions in 1990:
Retrospective, Musée des beaux-arts, Tours, France (solo exhibition)