Wang Jia'Nan

Wang Jia'nan was born in 1955 in the Northern Chinese city of Harbin. As was the case for so many intellectuals and artists of his generation, Wang Jia'nan was brought up during the Cultural Revolution in the countryside and experienced enforced work in the factories. However, by 1978 he was one of a handful of brilliant students admitted to the famous and newly-reopened Central Academy of Fine Art in Beijing, where he met his classmate, and future wife, Cai Xaioli. Rather than focusing on western art, as did so many of his contemporaries, Wang preferred to study Chinese classical painting and design. Subsequent to his graduation in 1982, Wang founded the first post Cultural Revolution independent professional art studio in Beijing, which directed much of his creative work towards the execution of ambitious mural projects for public buildings. In 1987 Wang moved to London and the two artists have subsequently participated in many exhibitions in England, throughout Europe and in Japan. Wang Jia'nan focuses mainly on painting in traditional Chinese style of figurative and landscape subjects. He is now unquestionably one of the leading Chinese painters of his generation.