Introduction to Wu Guanzhong Gallery

This gallery begins by taking us back to Chen’s childhood, her early artistic training, and her artistic practice during the 1930s to 1950. The works and archival material on display here span the first five decades of Chen’s life, before she moved permanently to Singapore. While Chen was born in Zhejiang, China, in 1906, her family relocated to Paris when she was eight years old. The artworks along this corridor reflect Chen’s early education in art and her classical training in the academies of Paris. In the showcase next to the entrance, you can see photos of Chen’s childhood and early life. Her family moved to New York following the outbreak of World War I. Chen would return to Paris by herself in 1927, where she studied at the Académie Colarossi and Académie Biloul. She enjoyed the creative freedom she found in the city, remarking in a later interview that an artist could “just go out and look around and paints whatever he likes.” Within this gallery, you will see Chen’s classical training exemplified in her paintings of nudes, still lifes, and en plein air, or outdoor, landscapes. These artworks incorporate the techniques of composition, colour, and perspective she studied. You will also see the interior scenes Chen painted during World War II, in what she called “those dark days of Japanese occupation”. As you make your way through this gallery, do stop by the other two showcases you will encounter. The first, just around the corner, contains newspaper and magazine clippings that mention Chen’s salon exhibitions, and her first solo exhibition at the Gallery Barreiro in 1936. The last showcase, before the exit, highlights Chen’s increasing prominence as a practicing artist. There, you can view newspaper clippings and catalogue brochures related to her solo exhibitions across three continents from 1943 to 1950.