Chang Chieh

born 1921 Shanghai China

died 2016 Taipei Taiwan

Chang Chieh is a celebrated Taiwan artist recognised for his lotus flowers, brilliant colours, and carefully composed artworks. Born in 1921 in Shanghai, he graduated from the Chengtse Art College, Danyang in Jiangsu Province in 1948. He immigrated to Taipei in 1949 and began teaching. During this period, he continued painting and in 1958, set up the Chinese Watercolour Society. Starting in the 1970s, he was invited to give speeches and hold painting demonstrations at various locations around the world, including in Taipei, Berlin, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He has won several awards during his career, including Honorable Mention at USIS/Taipei in 1960 and at the 7th São Paolo Biennial in 1963, Best Watercolourist of the Year Taipei in 1967 and the Supreme Painter in Arts by the International University in the United States in 1990. His work has been compared to the Five Dynasties painter Xu Xi and the Qing painter Gao Yun, both known for introducing revolutionary techniques in flower painting, and for establishing it as a genre. He once said in an interview about his exhibition organised by Alisan Fine Arts that “Lotus represents me – I am a lotus after all.”

Alisan Fine Arts began representing Chang in 1981, holding a solo exhibition for him at the Société Générale that year –this was the first show that Alice King organised. Since then the gallery has held four more solo exhibitions for the artist, including two large scale shows at the Hong Kong Arts Centre in 1983 and 1991. Following a group show, titled Elements of Spring, in 1997 the gallery brought his works to Tresors Singapore. Since 1957, Chang Chieh has had over thirty solo exhibitions and group shows. His works have been exhibited in the United States, Brazil, Germany, China, Singapore, Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. His paintings have been collected by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Taiwan, and numerous collectors worldwide.

BIOGRAPHY
1921   Born in Shanghai, China
1948   Graduated from Chengtse Art College, Tanyang, Jiangsu, China
1949   Left China to teach in Taipei, Taiwan
1958   Founded “Chinese Watercolour Society” in Taipei, taiwan
1970   Invited by USIS to give a speech at Taipei Lincoln Center on American Culture
1986   Invited by Pacific Asia Travel Association to give painting demonstrations in Berlin, Germany
1987   Invited by PATA to give painting demonstrations in New York, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, USA
Travelled to Singapore to demonstrate lotus painting skills
2016   Passed away in July in Taiwan
Works included in gallery monograph Alisan Fine Arts 35 Years, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2009

Solo Exhibition, No.1 Art Museum, Shanghai, China

2006

Solo Exhibition, Yibo Art Gallery, Shanghai, China
Chang Chieh New Year Art Exhibition, Taipei Armed Forces Cultural Center, Taipei, Taiwan

2000

Solo Exhibition, Howard Salon, Taipei, Taiwan

1999

Solo Exhibition, Miami, Florida, USA

1998

Chang Chieh's New Painting, Taiwan Museum of Art, Taichung, Taiwan

1996

The Gem World of Chang Chieh, National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Taipei, Taiwan

1994

National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan
Cafe Gallery, Singapore

1991

Of Flowers and Places, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong

1992

Chinese Water Ink Solo Exhibition, Kander’s Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

1989

Solo Exhibition, Singapore, Taipei, and Kaohsiung, Taiwan

1987

Flowers by Chang Chieh, Tokyo American Club, Tokyo, Japan

1985

Solo exhibition, Rockefeller Gallery, New York, USA
Solo Exhibition, Arts Promotion (Alisan Fine Arts), Hong Kong
40 Years Retrospective, Taipei Fine Art Museum, Taipei, Taiwan

1983

Flowers, Arts Promotion, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong

1981

Solo Exhibition, Arts Promotion (Alisan Fine Arts), Hong Kong

1975

Chang Chieh’s Lotus Art Exhibition, National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan

1970

Solo Exhibition, City Hall, Hong Kong

1968-1969

Solo exhibition, New York, Washington, San Francisco, organised by Sino-American Cultural Association and Pacific University, USA

1964

solo exhibition, Taipei, Taiwan

1950

Solo Watercolour was shown in Changhua, Tainan and Taipei, Taiwan

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2015

Shanghai Art Fair, Shanghai, China

2012

Group Exhibition of Chang Chieh & Chinyee, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong

1999

Shanghai Art Fair, Shanghai, China
Taipei International Art Fair, Taipei, Taiwan

1997

Singapore International Art Fair, Alisan Fine Arts, Singapore
Taipei International Art Fair, Taipei, Taiwan

1985

Spring Melody, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong

1978

Contemporary Chinese Art from Taiwan, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong

1977

Ten Leading Chinese Artists Exhibition, Japan

1976

10 Leading Chinese Artists, Dai-ichi Annual Exhibition, Japan

1975

Chinese Contemporary Artists Exhibition, City Hall, Hong Kong

1974

Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

1967

New Haven, Connecticut, USA

1965

National History Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Contemporary Chinese Art Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan

1964

Travelling Exhibition, Africa

1963

7th Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brazil

1962

1st Saigon International Art Exhibition, Saigon, Vietnam

1961

National Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

1959

5th Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brazil

1957

4th Sao Paulo Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brazil

SELECTED AWARDS
1960 Honourable mention at USIS/Taipei
1963 Honourable mention at Sao Paolo Biennial VII
1967 Awarded “Best Watercolorist of the Year” Taipei
1990 Awarded “The Supreme Painter in Arts” by The International University, USA

SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Museum of Contemporary Art, Taipei, Taiwan