Liu Jipiao (), (1900–1992) was a Chinese architect associated with the development of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

architecture in China and an

oil painter Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...

Realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

. Liu's approach to architecture was to create a modern design with a distinctive Chinese aesthetic. Liu is remembered as the first Chinese Art Deco architect.

Early life and education

On June 4, 1900, Liu was born in

Meizhou Meizhou (, Hakka Chinese: Mòichû) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong province, China. It has an area of , and a population of 3,873,239 million as of the 2020 census. It comprises Meijiang District, Meixian District, Xingning Cit ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, China. Liu's family had wealth from owning a silk dying factory. At a young age Liu took an interest in porcelain as well as Chinese and Western painting. In 1919, Liu studied at

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

and by 1922 he moved to L’Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts to study architecture and interior design. He travelled to Paris with Chinese artists Lin Fengmian and

Lin Wenzheng Lin Wenzheng (; c. 19021989) was a Chinese painter. Early life and career Lin spent some seven years studying Western painting in Paris, France; in 1924, he founded the Society of Overseas Artists in Paris together with fellow artists Lin Fen ...

and he connected with Chinese artists living in Paris, such as

Xu Beihong Xu or XU may refer to: People and characters * Xu (surname), one of two Chinese surnames ( or /), transliterated as Xu in English * ǃXu, a name for the ǃKung group of Bushmen; may also refer to the ǃKung language or the ǃKung people * ǃXu ...

. Liu was in a Paris-based art club in college called ''Phoebus Society'', with fellow artists; Lin Wenzheng (1903–1930), Wang Daizhi and Wu Dayo (1903–1988).

Career

In 1924, Liu exhibited fifteen paintings at ''Exposition Chinoise d’art ancien et moderne''. He was then invited to contribute to China's pavilion section of the ''Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes'' in 1925. His design for the entrance, which included a dragon and a phoenix, won awards from the French government. This new, modern design style presented at the expo became later known as Art Deco, and this expo was one of the earliest displays. His large scale oil painting, ''

Yang Guifei Yang Yuhuan (; 26 June, 719 – 15 July 756Volume 218 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'' recorded that Yang was killed on the ''bingshen'' day of the 6th month of the 1st year of the Zhide era of Tang Suzong's reign. This date corresponds to 15 Jul 756 on t ...

after the Bath'' is one of his better known painted works. In 1929, Liu returned to China and become a professor at the

Nanjing University Nanjing University (NJU; ) is a national public research university in Nanjing, Jiangsu. It is a member of C9 League and a Class A Double First Class University designated by the Chinese central government. NJU has two main campuses: the Xian ...

. Between 1932 until 1937 he ran an architecture firm in the

Nanjing Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...

, China, specializing in modern buildings. Liu received commissions to design residential buildings, including the Carlton Building on Huanghe Lu.

Personal life

In 1932 he married artist Pan Fengxiao. After the

Japanese invasion of Manchuria The Empire of Japan's Kwantung Army invaded Manchuria on 18 September 1931, immediately following the Mukden Incident. At the war's end in February 1932, the Japanese established the puppet state of Manchukuo. Their occupation lasted until the ...

and rise of communism, in 1947, Liu and his family fled from China to United States. In the United States, Liu ran a Laundromat and then a chicken farm. By 1965, Liu retired from architecture and focused more on fine arts like painting and watercolor. In 1992, Liu died at the age of 92 in Toms River, New Jersey.

References

External links

Liu Jipiao website with examples of work
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liu, Jipiao Chinese architects 1900 births 1992 deaths Painters from Guangdong Art Deco architects University of Paris alumni École des Beaux-Arts alumni Artists from Meizhou

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links