T’ang Haywen

1927 Xiamen China -1991 Paris France

Introduction

T’ang Haywen was a Chinese-born French artist who became known for his small-format paintings, which are composed of a few fluid brushstrokes in Chinese ink on paper. He was born in Xiamen, China in 1927, but following the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, he spent his childhood growing up in Saigon, Vietnam. He left for Paris in 1947 with the intention of studying medicine but upon arrival, immersed himself in Parisian culture visiting museums and important landmarks. Over the course of his life, he travelled extensively throughout Europe and the United States, never returning to Asia. Along the way, he held various exhibitions in North America and Europe. He passed away in 1991.

In 1998, Alisan Fine Arts was the first gallery to hold a solo-selling exhibition of T’ang Haywen’s paintings in Hong Kong and since then has included his work in four group exhibitions. Notably, as part of Le French May 2005, his artworks, along with Gao Xingjian and Jean Degottex were displayed at the University Museum and Art Gallery, the University of Hong Kong in an exhibition curated by Alice King.

T’ang has been widely exhibited, important shows include a travelling retrospective in 1996-1997, which visited the Oceanography Museum of Monaco, the Hong Kong Museum of Art, Singapore Museum of Art, Museum of East Asian Art in Germany and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. In 2002, two solo exhibitions of his works were held at the Musée Guimet and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Chambery, France. In 1999-2000, his works were included in a joint exhibition with artists Zhang Daqian and Zao Wou-ki at the Musée de Pontoise in France. His works have been collected by the National Museum of Modern Art, Paris; Musée Cernuschi, Paris; Musée Guimet, Paris; Musée de Pontoise, France; Museum of Contemporary Art, Nice, France; Menil Foundation, Houston; Art Institute of Chicago; M+, Hong Kong.


BIOGRAPHY
1927    Born in Xiamen, Fujian, China

1937    Left for Vietnam with his family at the outbreak of Sino- Japanese War

1948    Went to Paris to study medicine but enrolled in L’École des Beaux Arts

1955    Held the first exhibition at Galerie Voyelles, Paris, France

1991    Died in Paris


SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2024

  • T'ang Haywen: A Chinese Painter in Paris, Guimet Museum, Paris, France

2019

  • T'ang Boogie, de Sarthe Gallery, Hong Kong
2014               
  • Solo Exhibition, De Sarthe Gallery, Hong Kong
2003               
  • Galerie Encre de Chine, Paris, France
2002          
  • Paths of Ink, Retrospective Exhibition, Musée Guimet, Paris, France
  • Presence de T’ang, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Chambery, France
  • Paths of Ink, Retrospective Exhibition, Shiseido Gallery, Japan
1998              
  • The Tao of Painting, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
1996-1997          
  • Travelling Retrospective, Oceanography Museum of Monaco; Hong Kong Museum of Art; Singapore Museum of Art; Museumfur Ostasiatische Kunst, Cologne, Germany;Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
1986              
  • Cultural Centre, Boffrop-Oberhausen, Germany
1985              
  • Burgerzentrum, Chateau de Borbeck, Essen, Germany
1984              
  • Musée des Beaux Arts de Vitre, Château de Vitré, France
  • Musée des Beaux Arts de Vannes, France
1983              
  • Art in Academy, National Academy of Science, Washington, USA
  • Musée des Beaux Arts de Brive, France
  • Musée des Beaux Arts de Quimper, France
1980              
  • Musée des Ponchettes, Nice, France
1979             
  • Musee Savoisien, Chambery, France
1975             
  • Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
1974             
  • Ellingham Mill Art Society, Norfolk Museum, UK
1972             
  • Musée de l’Abbaye Saint Croix des Sables d’Olonne, France
1965             
  • Centre Cultural Midsommagarden, Stockholm, Sweden
  • International Art Center, Detroit, USA
1964             
  • Galerie Welter, Paris, France
  • Galerie Galaxie, Detroit, Michigan, USA
1963             
  • Galerie Creuse, Paris, France
  • Alaska Methodist University, Anchorage, AL, USA
1959             
  • Musée des Oudaias, Rabat, Morocco
  • Fine Arts School, Casablanca, Morocco
  • Montreal Museum, Montreal, Canada
  • Galerie Bradtke, Luxembourg
1958             
  • Galerie Belles Images, Rabat, Morocco
1957
  • Galerie Belvedere, Hergiswill am See, Lucerne, Switzerland
1955
  • Galerie Voyelles, Paris, France

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2024-2025

  • Guo Pei: Fashioning Imagination, M+, Hong Kong

2021-2022

  • Individuals, Networks, Expressions, South Galleries, M+, Hong Kong

2021

2016  

2014
  • Breeze from Paris Group Exhibition, Eslite Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan
2012             
2005         
2004               
  • French Diaspora, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
2003               
  • Galerie Encre de Chine, Paris, France
1999-00        
  • Maitres de l’Encre: Chang Dai-Chien, T’ang Haywen, Zao Wou-ki, Musée de Pontoise, Pontoise, France
1995              
  • Empire of the Dragons, Aarhus Kuntsmuseum, Denmark


SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Musée National des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet, Paris, France
Musée d’Art Moderne de la ville de Paris, Paris, France
Musée Cernuschi, Paris, France
Musée de Pontoise, Paris, France
Musée de l’Abbaye de Ste Croix des Sables d’Olonne, France
Musée des Beaux Arts de Quimper, France
Musée des Beaux Arts de Vitré, France
Musée de Brive, France
Museum of Contemporary Art, Nice, France
Fonds de la Direction des Musées de la Ville de Nice, France
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, USA
Menil Fondation, Houston, USA
M+, Hong Kong