Sponsored by the National Art Museum of China and the working group of Chu The-Chun, a retrospective exhibition about Chu The-Chun’s works is currently on display since March 4, 2010 to March 30 at Hall 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. The exhibits including a total of 113 diversified masterpieces, is a full reflection of his creation and exploration in different periods.
Chu The-Chun was born in 1920 in Xiaoxian County, Jiangsu Province. This year marks his 90th anniversary birthday. As an artist who has experienced enormous changes of the society and the culture since the 20th century, he boasts lofty characters of being brave to explore, following the times and unremittingly fighting. Since early age, he regarded the art as his ideal. He made research into the traditional Chinese paintings and calligraphy and laid solid artistic foundation in the National Training School of Art of Hangzhou. Meanwhile, he learned from the style of the European paintings of Impressionism and Post-impressionism in the field of the oil paintings. His early works reflect his feeling about the outside world and the passion to express his soul. He succeeded in integrating the appeal of freehand brushwork in the technique of the oil paintings and formed the foundation to combine the Oriental and the Western styles in the following years.
In 1955, Chu The-Chun left for Paris and settle down there. In the core zone of the western paintings, he was faced with new challenges. However, he tackled the challenges with wisdom and education. In accordance of his characters, he studied the new trend of the western paintings, and converted the style to be more open and abstract. Finally he established his artistic style, enjoyed reputation in the international art circle and made contribution to the world art in the later 20th century among the oversea Chinese.

Fan Di’an, Director of the National Art Museum of China, said, “The abstract art of Chu The-Chun boasts new connotations and forms. The exhibition provides a good opportunity for us to appreciate his exquisite skills and have further understanding the value and the meaning of the China’s art and culture for the future artistic innovation.”
Among one oil painting and ten ink painting donated by Chu The-Chun to the National Art Museum of China, the oil painting entitled “Green Vigor” (195×395cm) is his masterpiece created in 1982. The painting boasts graceful rhythm and subtle sentiment to the nature.
In December 1997, Chu The-Chun was awarded the title of Academician by L’Institut de France. The chairman of the award ceremony praised his arts “full of the connotations of European cultures”. Chu The-Chun is the first Chinese academician and oriental artist in the history of over two centuries of L’Institut de France.

The exhibits cover a wide range of artistic categories, including oil paintings, ink paintings, calligraphies, ceramics, sketches and related documents to his artistic life. The exhibition is divided into five parts, namely, artist and artistic works, idealized abstraction, dazzling changes, studio in Paris of the artist and echoes of Chinese culture.
On March 6, Dai Haoshi, the curator of the exhibition from the French side, was invited to give a lecture on the topic of “Chu The-Chun and Nonobjectivism”. During the exhibition, related education activities will be arranged in late March to help the youth understand the art of abstraction.