A homecoming painted in light and color

Following a blockbuster exhibition dedicated to its celebrated alumnus Zao Wou-ki (1920-2013) three years ago, China Academy of Art in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has opened another eagerly anticipated retrospective, this time celebrating another internationally acclaimed graduate, Chu Teh-Chun (1920-2014).

Titled The Radiance of All Things: A Retrospective of Chu Teh-Chun, the exhibition traces the life and career of the celebrated artist, a classmate of Zao whose work bridges Eastern and Western aesthetics and earned him international recognition.

Running at the China Academy of Art Museum until Feb 18, the exhibition brings together 107 oil paintings, alongside drawings, manuscripts, photographs and documents drawn from institutional and private collections in China and abroad.

Chu moved to France in 1955, embarking on a career that saw him travel, work and exhibit extensively across Europe over the following decades. His paintings reflect the abstract and expressive currents that shaped art in the second half of the 20th century, while incorporating the textures of Chinese brushwork and the philosophical outlook of traditional Chinese culture.

This distinctive synthesis helped establish his unique artistic language and paved the way for his historic appointment in 1997 as the first Chinese member of the French Academy of Fine Arts.