Reuters takes notice of a survivor of the Cultural Revolution who just gave all of his works to museums in Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore:
“Wu Guanzhong is one of the most significant Chinese and contemporary artists today and his works and life are a window into 20th century multiculturalism, of both East and West,” Kwok Kian Chow, Singapore Art Museum director, told Reuters.
“He always rejected the idea of art as an illustration, the social realism of the Cultural Revolution and yet he left nothing for his family, saying that everything he has done in terms of artistic expression must go back to the people.”
Wu donated 113 oil and ink works, painted during the years 1957-2007 and worth S$73.7 million, to the Singapore museum, which is exhibiting them under the title “An Unbroken Line”, which takes its name from a famous quote by the artist “the unbroken line of a kite”.
China Art Master Wu Guanzhong Returns Art to the People (Reuters)