Chinese artist Zu Ming Ho began his art career in his early teens when his skills grew into a comprehensive repertoire that included drawing, water colour, landscapes and figure painting in the ‘western style’. He was greatly influenced by the French masters Degas, Monet and Renoir.
This western style brought Zu Ming Ho unwanted attention from Mao’s Cultural Revolution party and he was placed into a forced labour camp because of his ‘western’ tendencies. The regime tried to break Ho’s spirit but he continued to visualise paintings and memorise images in the hope that one day he would again be able to portray his art on canvas.
Following the Cultural Revolution, Zu Ming Ho was able to resume his artistic career and he graduated with honours from the Shanghai Drama Institute of Fine Arts, majoring in oil painting.
In 1987, Ho entered the US following an acceptance as a foreign student at an American university. His first US exhibit took place in Los Angeles. This led to national and then international exhibitions.
Zu Ming Ho’s work comprises a gentle touch with vivid colour to create work that celebrates the human body, relationships, nature and the universe. His work portrays the heart of ancient China with intricate lines, mystical images and elegance.
Zu Ming Ho now lives in China where he is a professor of art.
Want to learn more about Richard Zu Ming Ho?
The Free ‘Western’ Spirit That Even Mao’s China Couldn’t Break
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