Chang Dai Chien The Enigmatic Genius

Chang Dai-chien (Zhang Daqian) was undoubtedly one of the most important artists of modern China, and his art celebrated the best of Chinese and Western artistric traditions. A precocious student of Chinese classical styles, Chang produced outstanding works reminiscent of the Ming master Shitao, as well as controversial imitations often regarded as forgeries during the early part of his career. Later, as he took refuge as an emigre in the USA, Brazil and finally Taiwan, Chang's style was to be epitomized in his signature use of the Tang splashed-ink technique with a brightly colorful palette he adopted from modern Western art. This catalogue documents some 72 works by Chang Dai-chien, mostly unpublished, collected by two men of single-minded passion for this 20th-century phenomenon of modern Chinese art.