ZAO WOU-KI 1921-2013

Zao Wou-Ki is a Franco-Chinese artist known for his non-figurative paintings that blend Western and Eastern artistic styles. "People define themselves by a tradition. For me, two traditions define me," he says. Similar to the style of the abstract expressionists, lyrical abstract artist Zao admires the work of Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline. Born on 1 February 1920 in Beijing, China, he studied at the Hangzhou Fine Arts School for six years and was influenced by the work of Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse and especially Paul Klee. He moved to Paris in 1947, became a neighbour of Alberto Giacometti and friends with Sam Francis, Joan Mitchell, Jean-Paul Riopelle and Pierre Soulages. Zao became a French citizen in 1964. The painter and printmaker died on 9 April 2013 in Nyon, Switzerland at the age of 93. His works are in the collections of the Tate Modern in London and the Guggenheim Museum and MoMA in New York.

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