Great Masters

All mornings, Zao would learn aspects of Western art devoting his afternoons to traditional Chinese art. Still, he showed some deep interest in the works of Western painters before exhibiting his works for the first time at 20 in Chongjing.

Thanks to the protection of his master Ling Fong-Mien he became a professor in Hangzhou and showed his paintings in Shanghai in 1946. He also organised the first exhibition of modern Chinese painters at the National Historical Museum of Tchoung-King before going to Paris while China was experiencing dire political troubles.

Zao first visited France and Europe with long visits in many museums and took part in an exhibition of Chinese painters in Paris. In addition, he worked briefly with Emile Othon-Friesz and studied lithography in 1949.

Much admired by Henri Michaux, Zao exhibited his paintings at the Muse Cernuschi while Picasso, Miro, Giacometti, Lger and Villon praised his talent.

Forsaking the early influence of Matisse and Picasso, Zao adopted a style of his own based on his native roots adjusting Chinese signs with the poetic lines of Paul Klee.

Zao met success rapidly, notably with his lithographies and started to exhibit his paintings at the Salons des Tuileries and dAutomne and the Salon de Mai in 1950.

He had several one-man exhibitions in Bern, Geneva and Paris and was awarded a prize at the Genoa Biennial before taking part in several exhibitions, notably in the U.S and in England while Life Magazine reproduced one of his lithographies during the week the International Biennial of Colour Lithographs took place in Cincinatti.

Zao created the decor of the ballet La Perle in Paris in 1953 and exhibited his works in Italy and Germany in the company of Mark Tobey, Mathieu, Riopelle, Grard Schneider, Poliakoff and Wols.

From 1955, Zao gave up figurative painting and chose the lyrical abstraction form with the aim of expressing nature in its fullness and a true Chinese vision of the world.

Zao represented France at the 40th International Exhibition of the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh in 1956 and made a trip around the world with Pierre Soulages in 1957-58.

He was also a member of the French selection at the Venice Biennial in 1960 and took part in the Tokyo Internationa Biennial.

Zao explained that he had rediscovered Chinese art during his stay in France when he progressively developed his personality.

After choosing to become a French national in 1964, Zao had his first retrospective exhibition in Essen the following year. He then produced a series of illustrations and took part in many major exhibitions, notably at the Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul-de- Vence and at the Museum of Art of San Francisco.

His second retrospective exhibition took place at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montreal and the Museum of Quebec in 1969. Then Zao produced a huge tapestry for the Gobelins Manufacture in Paris as well as many book illustrations.

In 1972 he exhibited a series of ink drawings with those of his wife May Zao who had just died.