Chu Teh-Chun

Renowned for his unique style that merged elements of traditional Chinese painting with Western abstract art, Chu Teh-Chun was an artist whose notable works include Lucky Star – an oil on canvas portrait of his wife that was dubbed ‘The Mona Lisa of the East’ by fellow artist, Wu Guanzhong. Initially beginning his artistic career as a figurative painter, Teh-Chun found inspiration from Nicolas De Stael’s abstract landscapes, subsequently developing his own trademark style that features rigorous and technical brushwork as well as bold strokes of colour, reminiscent of Chinese calligraphy. Alongside Zao Wou-Ki and the aforementioned artist, Guanzhong, Teh-Chun was part of an influential trio dubbed the ‘Three Musketeers’, all of whom were elected as members of the French learned society, Académie des Beaux-Arts.