CHU
TEH-CHUN
Born in Xiao County, China,1920-2014
Chu Teh-Chun is a Chinese painter who embraced abstraction after a move to Paris in the mid twentieth-century.
He began his education in traditional Chinese painting at Hangzhou’s School of Fine Arts, where Lin Fengmian was principle and Zao Wou-Ki a fellow student. In 1949, during the Sino-Japanese war Chu moved to Taipei where he taught at the National University before moving to Paris in 1955.
The move to Paris dramatically affected his approach to art and he was particularly influenced by the abstract works of Nicolas de Staël, this lead to a move away from figurative painting to evocative, abstract landscapes.
By the late 1950s Chu established his reputation in France and soon began exhibiting internationally. In the 1970s he returned to more traditional Chinese practice and began incorporating calligraphic elements into his paintings.
A major retrospective was held at the Taipei Museum of National History in 1987. Other solo exhibitions include those at The Museum of Fine Arts, Shanghai; Musée d'Art Moderne, Liège and Arts Palace, Beijing. His work is held in several international collections including Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris; Bibliothéque Nationale, Paris, Shanghai Museum of Art; among others.
In 1956 he won the Silver medal at The Salon of French Artists. Other prizes include Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques (2001), Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (2001), Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite (2006), Médaille d'Or du Mérite Européen (2006) and he has been elected into the Académie Française (2007).