Walking Emperor of Painting (The Wandering Later Life of Zhang Daqian)

Author: Wen Huan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: China's most legendary contemporary (Chinese painting) master, Xu Beihong once marveled, "A great Qian (a thousand) in five hundred years." In 1949, he bid farewell to the mainland and traveled to South America, Europe, and wandered across the world for half his life, leaving everyone in awe. This book focuses on the legendary journey of Zhang Daqian after leaving the mainland in 1949, as he traveled the world, impacted the global art scene, and was honored as the "Great Eastern Painter." With vivid and delicate brushstrokes, it narrates his life through numerous real stories and dozens of newly revealed private collection photographs, showcasing his open-minded attitude toward life—"rich enough to rival a nation, yet poor to the point of having no space to stand"—and his little-known romantic tales with women other than his four wives, including those from North Korea and Japan. It also reveals the major historical mysteries and the origins of events, such as his early "art forgery" and his three visits to Dunhuang, where he was accused of "destroying cultural relics."