Zao Wou-Ki: 1935–2010

Preparedincooperationwiththeartist’sestate,ZaoWou-Ki:1935–2010featuresmorethanthreehundredworksandisthemostcompletemonographavailableontheartist.BorninBeijing,raisedinShanghai,ZaoWou-Ki(1920–2013)rosetoprominenceinhisadoptedFrance,andwasoneoftheworld’smostcelebratedartistsatthetimeofhisdeath.TrainedinbothWesternandChinesepainting,Zao’sworkbridgedboth.Hebecameamasterwhenhetranscendedbothvocabularies.“Iwantedtopaintdifferently,”ZaoWou-KiwroteaboutleavingChinain1948,andshortlyafterhelandedinParis,hisworktookonWesterninfluences:anudeandaportraitofhiswife,both1949,recallMatisseintheirsubjects,loosestyle,anduseofpattern.In1951,ZaosawPaulKleeandbegancreatingcityscenesandlandscapeswithasimilarlyinky,slightlyfantasticalhand.TheWesternartists,hesaid,ledhimbacktoChina,astatementevidencedintheideogramsandShangdynastymotifsinhis1956Stèlepourunami(Stelaforafriend).AsZaomovedbeyondtheWestforinspiration,hegraduallymovedbeyondChina,too.Indoingso,hefoundhisownstyle.Hisfirstabstractpainting,Vent(Wind),from1954,featuresinventedsignsandevokesthemovementofairwithoutdirectlyrepresentingit.Hisworkcontinuedtoevolve,withhisexperimentationwithindiaink;hisexplorationofenormous,multi-panelpaintings;hisuseofbrightcolorsthatrecallJ.M.W.TurnerorFranzKline.Hiscreativematuritylastedformorethanhalfacentury,expressedinpicturesthatmarrythelyricismofclassicalChinesepaintingandtheexpressiveforceofEuropeanmodernism,andyetareentirelyindividual.Preparedincooperationwiththeartist’sestate,ZaoWou-Ki:1935–2010featuresmorethanthreehundredworksandisthemostcompletemonographavailableontheartist.Ithighlightshisgreatabstractoilpaintings,whilealsogivingdueattentiontotheotherfacetsofhisoeuvre,includinghisstudentwork,hisfirstMatisse-andKlee-influencedcanvases,hislithographsandtravelnotebooks,andhisworkinwatercolorsandbrushpainting.Inadditiontoapenetratingessaybyprominentstatesman,intellectual,andfriendoftheartistDominiquedeVillepin,thebookincludesdetailednotesonkeyworks,aselectivebibliography,acriticalanthology,andanillustratedchronologyofZao’slife.