Chen Peiqiu (29 December 1922 – 26 June 2020) was a Chinese calligrapher and ''

guohua Chinese painting () is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as ''guó huà'' (), meaning "national painting" or "native painting", as opposed to Western style ...

'' painter, often acclaimed as the foremost Chinese woman painter. She and her husband

Xie Zhiliu Xie Zhiliu (; 1910–1997) was a leading traditional painter, calligrapher, and art connoisseur of modern China. He was a noted member of the Shanghai School of art. Xie and his wife Chen Peiqiu are one of the most famous couples in Chinese art ...

were one of the most famous couples in Chinese visual arts. The government of

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

opened a museum in

Nanhui New City Nanhui New City () is a planned city located in the Pudong New Area of Shanghai, China. It was formerly called Lingang New City (临港新城) until it was renamed in April 2012. Construction began in 2003 and is scheduled to be completed in 20 ...

dedicated to them.

Biography

Chen Peiqiu was born in 1922 in

Nanyang Nanyang is the romanization of two common Chinese place names. It may refer to: Written as 南洋 (Southern Ocean) * Nanyang (region), a Chinese term denoting the Southeast Asian lands surrounding the South China Sea ;China * Nanyang Fleet, Qing ...

Henan Henan (; or ; ; alternatively Honan) is a landlocked province of China, in the central part of the country. Henan is often referred to as Zhongyuan or Zhongzhou (), which literally means "central plain" or "midland", although the name is al ...

Province. During the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

, she took refuge with her family in

Kunming Kunming (; ), also known as Yunnan-Fu, is the capital and largest city of Yunnan province, China. It is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province as well as the seat of the provincial government. The headquar ...

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

Province. In childhood she was influenced by her mother, who was an artist, but Chen was more interested in engineering, as she thought it would be more beneficial to the society. Although she was accepted by the engineering department of

National Southwestern Associated University When the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out between China and Japan in 1937, Peking University, Tsinghua University and Nankai University merged to form Changsha Temporary University in Changsha and later National Southwestern Associated Universi ...

, her family opposed her choice and forced her to transfer to the economics department. She ended up not attending the university. During World War II, Kunming was a major hub for refugees from all over China. Chen attended an art exhibition of

Huang Junbi Huang or Hwang may refer to: Location * Huang County, former county in Shandong, China, current Longkou City * Yellow River, or Huang River, in China * Huangshan, mountain range in Anhui, China * Huang (state), state in ancient China. * Hwang Riv ...

, a prominent painter of the

Lingnan School The Lingnan School () of painting, also called the Cantonese School, is a style of painting from the Guangdong or Lingnan region of China. This school reflects a style of painting founded in the 19th century in Guangdong province by ''Two Gaos an ...

. With Huang's encouragement, she applied to the

National Academy of Art China Academy of Art (), also translated as China National Academy of Fine Arts, was founded in Hangzhou in 1928 by the government of the Republic of China and the renowned educator Cai Yuanpei. It was the first art university and first gradua ...

(now China Academy of Art in

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

) and was accepted. She was influenced by Professor

Li Keran Li Keran (; 26 March 1907 – 5 December 1989), art name Sanqi, was a contemporary Chinese '' guohua'' painter and art educator. Considered one of the most important Chinese artists in the latter half of the 20th century, he was also an influentia ...

and other artists who taught at the academy. She studied

Chinese painting Chinese painting () is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as ''guó huà'' (), meaning "national painting" or "native painting", as opposed to Western style ...

(''guohua'') and graduated in 1950. Chen specialized in traditional Chinese painting, especially landscape, flowers, and birds, although she was also interested in

impressionism Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open Composition (visual arts), composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating ...

and postimpressionism. She exhibited in the first

Shanghai Biennale The Shanghai Biennale is one of the highest-profile contemporary art events in Shanghai and the most established art biennale in China. It was initially held in the Shanghai Art Museum. From 2012 on, it has been hosted in Power Station of Art, the ...

in 2000. Chen was married to the famous painter

(1910–1997), with whom she often collaborated. They are one of the best known couples in Chinese art.

Art market

Chen Peiqiu is one of the most prominent modern women artists in China. She has been listed on every edition of the Hurun Art List of best-selling living Chinese artists at auction, since its inception, until her death in 2020. In 2016, she was ranked number 16 on the list with sales of US$7.9 million. Only three of the top 100 artists on the list were women, and Chen was the highest-ranked among them. One of her landscape paintings was sold in 2014 for $3.4 million.

Honours

In late 2014, Chen Peiqiu was awarded the lifetime achievement award of the Shanghai Art and Literature Prize. In 2015, the Shanghai municipal government opened the Xie Zhiliu and Chen Peiqiu Art Gallery in

Pudong Pudong is a district of Shanghai located east of the Huangpu, the river which flows through central Shanghai. The name ''Pudong'' was originally applied to the Huangpu's east bank, directly across from the west bank or Puxi, the historic city ...

, in honour of the artist couple. Some of her

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

is also preserved at the

Tianfei Palace This is a list of Mazu temples, dedicated to Mazu (媽祖) also known as Tian Shang Sheng Mu (天上聖母) or Tian Hou (天后) Chinese Goddess of Sea and Patron Deity of fishermen, sailors and any occupations related to sea/ocean, also regarded as ...

in Songjiang's Fangta Park..

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chen, Peiqiu 1922 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Chinese calligraphers 21st-century Chinese calligraphers China Academy of Art alumni Chinese women painters Painters from Henan People from Nanyang, Henan Women calligraphers