Autumn forest，acrylic.ink and color on hand-made paper，130x98 cm，2002
秋林，壓克力彩.彩墨.自製紙，130x98 cm，2002
| (1942- ) BORN IN CHANG-SHA , HUNAN PROVINCE, CHINA |
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| 1962 | STUDIED TRADITIONAL CHINESE PAINTING AT THE CENTRAL ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS, BEIJING DISCONTINUED FOR REASONS OF ILLNESS AFTER TWO YEARS |
| 1985 | ORGANIZED THE FIRST EXHIBITION OF "CHINESE MODERN CALLIGRAPHY" |
| 1986 | LECTURED ON MODERN CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BONN AND THE FINE ART INSTITUTE, HAMBURG |
| SELECTED PUBLICATIONS | |
| THE CONSTRUCTION OF MODERN CALLIGRAPHY | |
THREE STEPS OF MODERN CALLIGRAPHY |
|
| THREE STEPS OF GU GAN | |
| SELECTED EXHIBITIONS | |
| 1985 | NATIONAL FINE ART MUSEUM , BEIJING , GROUP EXHIBITION |
| 1987 | UNIVERSITY OF BONN , SOLO EXHIBITION FINE ART INSTITUTE, HAMBURG , SOLO EXHIBITION |
| 1993 | MUSEUM FOR FAR EASTERN ART, COLOGNE , SOLO EXHIBITION |
| 1995 | TENTH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION OF THE MODERNIST MOVEMENT, NANJING , GROUP EXHIBITION |
| 1997 | THE BRITISH MUSEUM, LONDON GROUP EXHIBITION |
| 1997 | MICHAEL GOEDHUIS, LONDON , SOLO EXHIBITION |
| 1998 | CO-EXHIBITION WITH RENE BOLL, GERMANY MICHAEL GOEDHUIS, LONDON , SOLO EXHIBITION |
| 1998-1999 | INVITED TO EXHIBIT IN FRANCE , U.K. , HONG KONG , GUANG-ZHOU, SHANGHAI , BEIJING INVITED TO PRESS CONFERENCE OF LABELING ROTHSCHILD'S VINTAGE , FRANCE |
| 1999 | DIANA FAMILY MUSEUM , SOLO EXHIBITION |
| 2000 | ASIAN ART FAIR, NEW YORK , GOEDHUIS CONTEMPORARY TAIPEI ART FAIR, GALERIE GRAND SI E CLE |
| 2001 | SOLO EXHIBITION, GALERIE GRAND SI E CLE SOTHEBY'S IN NEW YORK , GROUP EXHIBITION, GOEDHUIS CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL ART FAIR, SHANGHAI , GROUP EXHIBITION |
| 2002 | THE BRITISH MUSEUM , LONDON , GROUP EXHIBITION MICHAEL GOEDHUIS, NEW YORK SOLO EXHIBITION |
| 2003 | TAIPEI ART FAIR 2003, SEUOL ART FAIR 2003, CHINA INTERNATIONAL GALLERY EXPOSITION |
| 2004 | TAIPEI ART FAIR 2003, SEUOL ART FAIR 2003, CHINA INTERNATIONAL GALLERY EXPOSITION |
| SELECTED COLLECTION | |
| 2005 | GROUP EXHIBITION THE BRITISH MUSEUM, DIANA FAMILY MUSEUM, COLOGNE MUSEUM, BOLL FOUNDATION(GERMANY), KUNSTHISTORISCHES MUSEUM(AUSTRIA), ROTHSCHILD FAMILY. |
| 2007 | 《FLowing》Galerie Grand Siecle, Taipei, Taiwan |
GU GAN , FAMOUS BY "FATHER OF THE CHINESE MODERN CALLIGRAPHY" IS A MODERN CALLIGRAPHIC ARTIST, BLENDS CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY WITH WESTERN ART. THE WORKS CREATED BY GU GAN ARE EXPRESSED BY MERGING THE ABSTRACT SPIRIT AND HIGH SPONTANEITY OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY IN HIS ARTWORK, WITH INFLUENCES OF 20 TH CENTURY WESTERN MASTERS SUCH AS PICASSO, KANDINSKY, KLEE, MIRO, AND OTHERS.
MOREOVER, BESIDES THE STRONGLY ALLURING AESTHETIC FORM ITSELF, THE BEAUTY OF FORM IN HIS WORKS ALSO REMINDS VIEWERS OF OTHER CONNOTATIONS AND EVENTUALLY HELPS THEM UPDATE THEIR CONCEPTS IN AESTHETIC PLEASURE, WHICH IS A PHILOSOPHICAL SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS AND SUBLIMATION COMPLETED THROUGH ARTISTIC APPRECIATION.
GU GAN'S IS THE FIRST CHINESE ARTIST USED AS WINE LABEL BY THE MOUTON ROTHSCHILD WINE IN 1996, WHICH IS WORLD-CLASS PREMIER BRAND AND OFTEN COLLECTED AS "ARTWORK". IT IS THE HONOR OF CHINESE MODERN ART TO PUT GU GAN THE SAME STAGE WITH WESTERN MASTERS LIKE PICASSO, HENRY MOOR, AND CHAGALL.
ONE OF THE CRITICISMS ABOUT HIM GOES: ORIGINATED FROM PICTOGRAM, CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY APPROPRATED SINCE 2000 B.C. ITS ‘SPELL' AND 'ART' COEXIST IN ACCORDANCE, AND SO DO THE FORMATION OF MEANING AND STEADY, ACCRUATE SENSE OF BEAUTY. WHILE RETAINING THE AUTHENTICITY IF THIS TRADITION, GU GAN HAS FURTHERMORE REFORMED IT. HE ENDOWS COLORS ONTO THE CALLIGRAPHY THUS ESCAPES THE CONFINES OF THE CONVENTIONS AND THE DISCIPLINE OF BALANCE. HE ALSO ADDS SEALS ON THE PAINTING AS A DECORATIVE ELEMENT. “NOW HE IS NOT ONLY REGARDED A MASTER, BUT ALSO THE LEADING THEORIST IN THE ART FIELD OF HIS SPECIALTY. WITH WHAT ARE SHOWN IN HIS WORKS, IT IS PROVED THAT THEY BRIDGE THE CHINESE CULTURE AND THE WESTERN ART” GU GAN IS ALSO INVITED TO “BRUSHES WITH SURPRISE: THE ART OF CALLIGRAPHY IN MODERN CHINA ” IN 2002. GU GAN'S ART IS INTRODUCED WITH SPECIAL ARTICLES ON THE WEBSITE OF THE MUSEUM. THE BRITISH MUSEUM STARTED A PLANNED COLLECTION OF GU GAN'S WORKS YEARS AGO. UNDOUBTEDLY HIS ARTISTIC PERFORMANCE HAS PUT HIM IN THE FINE ARTS HISTORY OF THE WORLD.