Lot 40

East and West Art Gallery, Melbourne, acquired directly from the artist.

Melbourne, East and West Art Gallery, Chen Chao Pao, 'One Man's Approch to Chinese Painting', 14th November-5th, December, 1987.

Chen Chao-pao was born in 1948 in Changhua, Taiwan. He began his artistic journey in 1967 at the Taiwan Academy of Arts and graduated in 1970, soon becoming active in the local art scene. By 1972, he was contributing a monthly cartoon column to Crown Magazine and became widely recognized as the chief cartoonist for the United Daily News in Taipei.

His solo exhibition at the American Cultural Center in Taipei in 1979 marked a turning point in his painting career, followed by numerous shows at Lungmen and Spring Galleries. A trip to Japan in 1980 inspired his popular Travels in Japan cartoon series and the publication of Collected Paintings of Chen Chao-pao. In 1983, he exhibited at the Beaumler Gallery in West Germany and later settled in Paris, where he continues to create art blending Eastern and Western influences.

Chen's style uniquely merges traditional Chinese painting with abstract and expressionist elements, reflecting human and social themes. Art critic Chen Chi Kuan has praised his work as deeply connected to contemporary life-engaging, relevant, and artistically validating.

Exhibitions Highlights (2000s-2020s):

2008: Participated in the Beijing International Art Biennale during the Olympics.

2002-2012: Returned to Taiwan, taught at the National Taiwan University of Arts, and continued exhibiting.

2021: Held a major retrospective, Chen Chao-Pao-The Dynasty of Arts, at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Taipei. The show featured eight series, such as "Buddha," "Female Body," and "Insight."