Chu Teh Chun

C H U TEH - C H U N

CHU TEH-CHUN De Neige, d’Or et d’Azur AN EXHIBITION OF TWENTY-SEVEN PORCELAIN VASES CREATED AT LA MANUFACTURE DE SÈVRES EACH HAND PAINTED BY THE ARTIST

MARCH 19 - APRIL 19, 2014

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T H E A RTIST PAINTING A VAS E IN TH E STUDIO AT LA MA N UFACTUR E DE SÈVR ES, 2007.

CHU TEH-CHUN À SÈVRES I N T E R V I E W W I T H D AV I D C A M É O DIRECTEUR GÉNÉRAL DE LA CITÉ DE LA CÉRAMIQUE SÈVR ES & LI MOGES

HOW IS IT T HAT C HU T EH-C HUN C A M E TO WO R K IN THE WOR KSHOP S OF T HE M A N U FAC TU R E N ATI ON A L E D E SÈV R ES ?

The presence of the great Chinese artist Chu TehChun at La Manufacture de Sèvres is not the fruit of chance, but rather that of a dialogue which is selfevident in that the Sèvres universe is so rich with influences and overtones, and its creative process anchored in the history of this institution. And when you become acquainted with the work of Chu Teh-Chun, you can see his constant search for forms and colors, architecture and light. His creative world leads to an absolute, even dazzling, purity. It was therefore natural for him to become involved at Sèvres, with its porcelain whose whiteness and translucence are echoed in his paintings.

IS THER E A LON G HISTORY BET W E E N S È V R E S A N D CH IN A?

I would say so, yes, since of course beyond the discovery of china clay—this white gold that Europe was still unfamiliar with at a time when China was using it on a daily basis, there were naturally trade but also cultural relations. Let’s not forget that it was at the initiative of a Jesuit father, who was at the imperial court of the emperor Quian Long, that the Manufacture de Sèvres designed a sculpture in biscuit [white, unpainted], starting in 1775, entitled The Emperor of China, an exact replica of Quian Long and created in parallel on a porcelain plate.

Our Chinese friends, such as the new Chinese Ambassador to France, are always amazed to learn of this incident from long ago. It demonstrates the strength of the ties that bind us to China.

I would also point to our continued mastery of colors —specifically the famous blue called “Sky Blue” that in 1753 decorated the first dinner service of Louis XV.

Chu Teh-Chun was preceded at Sèvres by other important Chinese artists: Zao Wou-Ki and Huang Yong Ping, who created exceptional pieces, each of which was imbued by their distinctive artistic touch.

H OW DI D TH E PA I N TE R A P P R OACH HIS WO RK AT S È V R E S?

He initially started out by observing the collections in order to better perceive their distinguishing characteristics, to get a feel for the material and to devise his own work method at his own pace; each of his gestures reflected an inner thought.

He used a part of Sèvres’ rich palette of colors: cobalt blue, black, green but also the 24K gold, to decorate the immaculate surfaces of the vases called SR 22 of Chinese inspiration, that give an insight into his worldview, the one he carried within himself.

W H AT H AS B E E N R E TA I N E D F R O M T HIS INVITAT IO N TO S E T U P R E S I D E N CY ?

His residency illustrates the strength of the establishment’s attraction; that is to say, what the production studios offer the artist regarding expertise, techniques and customs handed down from generation to generation.

Chu Teh-Chun, this great artist of profound modesty, was able to handle all of these complex elements in a marvelous alchemy, and provided us with a pictorial work on exceptional ceramic. He knew how to convey his visions, his universe, his philosophy and masterfully transcribe them onto fifty-seven vases unique by their decoration.

This is the last work of this great artist, his last creative act due to his illness; the last impressions, the last message he sends to us; and the emotion is all the more intense when admiring them today.

TH E ARTIST PAINTING A VASE IN THE STUDIO AT LA MA N UFACTUR E DE SÈVR ES, 2007.

CHU TEH-CHUN

produced this series of porcelain De Neige, d’Or et d’Azur at the famous

La Manufacture nationale de Sèvres in 2007 and 2008: each is a unique jar painted by the artist in “bleu de Sèvres” (Sèvres blue) highlighted with gold. For the porcelains in this series, Chu chose an oval form—the model SR 22 of La Manufacture—reminiscent of the famous jars of the Yuan period (13th-14th century) in China. Each porcelain was first glazed to prepare the surface for Chu and then painted by the artist with various shades of blue and other colors that were successively hardened in a kiln. The famous bleu de Sèvres—sky blue—is based, like all blue colors used on porcelain, on an ancient Chinese formula imported into France during the 16th century. But since its inception in 1740, La Manufacture de Sèvres has produced its own secret composition of this magical color. Today, no other manufacturer can replicate this color, not even in China. The snowwhite porcelain of Sèvres is also exceptionally hard and thin, producing a particular sound and receiving colors like no other. The final layers of the jars, the last highlights, were painted by Chu with pure gold paint produced in Sèvres in a very small quantity. With the assistance of the Sèvres artisans, three hundred hours of work were necessary to complete each unique porcelain.

E A C H VA S E :

2007-2008

porcelain, hand painted by the artist with highlights in gold, unique 14 x 11 x 11 in., 35.5 x 28 x 28 cm A number and a stamp applied on the bottom of each jar identify each work and each is guaranteed by a photographic certificate registered by both the Manufacture de Sèvres and the studio of Chu Teh-Chun.

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Four views of Vase No. 7.

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Four views of Vase No. 15.

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Four views of Vase No. 29.

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Four views of Vase No. 40.

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Four views of Vase No. 48.

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Four views of Vase No. 55.

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CHU TEH- CHUN 1920 1941

Born in Baitou Zhen in the province of Jiangsu, China Graduated from the School of Fine Arts of Hangzhou, Hangzhou, China

The artist lives in Paris, France.

AWA R D S

1956 Silver medal, the Salon of French Artists, France 1997 Elected to the Académie Française, Paris, France 2001 Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, Paris, France

Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, Paris, France 2006 Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite, Paris, France

Médaille d’Or du Mérite Européen, Luxembourg SO LO E XH IB ITIO NS

2013

2012 2011 2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

Colors/Forms: Chu Teh-Chun, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taichung, Taiwan Chu Teh-Chun: Les chemins de l’abstraction, Pinacothèque de Paris, Paris, France Chu Teh-Chun, De Sarthe Gallery, Hong Kong, China Chu Teh-Chun: Process and Transformation, FEAST Projects, Hong Kong, China Chu Teh-Chun, Retrospective, National Art Museum of China, Beijing, China Of Snow, Gold and Sky Blue: Hand-painted Ceramics and Calligraphy by Chu Teh-Chun, Macau Museum of Art, Macau, China Chu Teh-Chun De neige, d’or et d’azur, Musée Guimet, Paris, France Chu Teh-Chun, Marlborough Fine Art, London, England Musée des Beaux-Arts de Suzhou, Suzhou, China Chu Teh-Chun 88 Retrospective, National History Museum of Art, Taipei City, Taiwan Chu Teh- Chun: Works on Paper, Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York Chu Teh-Chun: Pintura reciente, Marlborough Madrid, Madrid, Spain Royal Ueno Museum, Tokyo, Japan Galerie Art Pagés Baden-Baden, Germany Chu Teh-Chun: Paintings, Marlborough Gallery, New York, New York Chu Teh-Chun, Multiples, J. Bastien Art, Brussels, Belgium Chu Teh-Chun, Galerie Patrice Trigano, Paris, France Peintures à l’huile, J. Bastien Art, Brussels, Belgium

2005 Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China

Chu Teh-Chun, peintre, Maison Elsa Triolet-Aragon, Yvelines, France

Impression Art Gallery, Taipei, China

La Nature Transfigurée, Museum of Guéthary, Guéthary, France

La Légèreté de L’Espace, J. Bastien-Art, Brussels, Belgium

L’Image Intérieure Atteint sa Plénitude dans l’Abstraction, The Museum of Fine Arts, Shanghai, China

Arsenal de Metz, France (through 2006) 2004 Chu Teh-Chun, Galerie Patrice Trigano, Paris, France

Chu Teh-Chun: Large Gestures (Paintings), Macau Museum of Art, Macau, China

Chu Teh-Chun:paysagisme des songes, Espace Miramar, Cannes, France

Musée des Beaux-Arts de l’Universite de Hong Kong

Moulin de Lamouray, Jouy, France

Galerie Artrium, Geneva, Switzerland

Galerie Artrium à l’UBS, Zurich Switzerland 2003 Exposition de peintures sur céramique, Galerie de la Bouquinerie de l’Institut, Paris, France

Première présentation publique de Symphonie Festive au Palais Garnier, Palais Garner, Paris, France

Exposition à Châtillon-en-Diois, Drôme, France

Inauguration and Symphony Festival at the Shanghai Opera, Shanghai, China

Listen to the Universe, Jung Yi University, Taichung, Taiwan 2002 Galerie Darga, Bali, Indonesia

Exhibition of Lithographs, Angel Art Museum, Taipei, Taiwan 2001 Museum of Art, Guang Dong, China; traveled to the French Association for Artistic Action (AFAA), traveled to Pusan Metropolitan Museum, Pusan, South Korea

Galerie municipale d’Archeil, France 2000 Chu Teh-Chun. Peintures, Hôtel de Ville, Sochaux, France

Chu Teh-Chun: Paintings, Shanghai Museum, Shanghai, China 1999 Chu Teh-Chun: Poetry and Music, Alisan Fine Arts Ltd., Hong Kong, China; traveled to Villa Tamaris, La Seynesur-Mer, France

Chu Teh-Chun: Recent Works, Galerie Milstain, Brussels, Belgium 1998 Galerie Patrice Trigano, Paris, France

Ecstatic Depths: Recent Paintings 1986-1996, Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan

Château Haut-Gléon, Villesèque-des-Corbières, France

TH E ARTIST PAINTING A VASE, A N D DAVID CA MEO (R IGHT), IN THE STUDIO AT LA M ANU FAC TU RE DE SÈVR ES, 2007.

Important Works of Chu Teh-Chun: The 50’s in Taichung, New Vision Art Gallery, Taiwan

Salons du Palais des Consuls, Rouen, France

Galerie Espace 061, Art Contemporain, Paris, France 1997 First traveling exhibition in the Far East, the French Association for Artistic Action (AFAA), Arts Palace, Beijing, China; traveled to the Museum of Art, Hong Kong, China; Museum of Fine Arts, Kaohsiung, Taiwan; and Museum of Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan

Galerie Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong

Bouquinerie de l’Institut, Paris, France 1996 Galerie Moly, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 1995 Primal Signs, Stratford Gallery, Stratford, Canada

Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Canada

Galerie Régis Dorval, Le Touquet, France 1994 Galerie Municipale, Vitry sur Seine, France

Musée Amérindien de Pointe Bleue, Québec, Canada; traveled to the Musée d’Art de Juliette, Juliette, Québec, Canada; and Maison de la Culture Mercier, Montréal, Canada

Galerie Patrice Trigano, Paris, France

Treasure Singapore 1994, Soobin Art Gallery, Singapore

Dimensions Art Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan

Dimensions Art Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan

Dimensions Art Gallery, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Treffpunkt Kunst, Musée Ludwig, Cologne, Germany 1993 Galerie Régis Dorval, Le Touquet, France

Galerie Protée, Toulouse, France

Dimensions Art Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan

Dimensions Art Gallery, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 1992 Primal Signs, Palais Montcalm, Quebec, Canada

Work from the 60’s, Galerie Arlette Gimaray, Paris, France

Art Bartschi, Compagnie, Galerie du Château, Geneva, Switzerland

Galerie Pierre, Taichung, Taipei, Taiwan 1991 Galerie Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Musée d’Art Contemporain, Dunkirk, France

Galerie Patrice Trigano, Paris, France 1990 Galerie Hélène Trintignant, Montpellier, France

Pyramide Pernod, Créteil, France

Galerie Régis Dorval, Le Touquet, France

Galerie Bellecour, Lyon, France 1989 Galerie Arlette Gimaray, Paris, France

Galerie Artko, Toulouse, France

Galerie Gabrielle, Strasbourg, France

Galerie Sylvie Lanel, Honfleur, France 1988 Galerie Luxembourg, Luxembourg

1987

Galerie Septentrion, Marcq-en Baroeul, France Galerie Régis Dorval, Le Touquet, France Musée d’Art Moderne, Liège, Belgium Musée des Arts, Taichung, Taiwan Galerie Luxembourg, Luxembourg Retrospective Exhibition, Museum of National History, Taipei, Taiwan

Lung Men Art Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan

King Ling Art Center, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Galerie Triform, Taipei, Taiwan 1986 The Hong Kong Institute for the Promotion of Chinese Culture, Hong Kong

Galerie Bernard Jagot, Saint-Nazaire, France

Galerie Bellecour, Lyon, France

Centre d’Arts et Loisirs, Privas, France

Galerie Hélène Trintignant, Montpellier, France 1985 5 abstraits en 1985,Galerie Pierre Hubert, Geneva, Switzerland

Maison des Arts et Loisirs, Sochaux, France

Galerie Bellint, Paris, France

Centre culturel municipal, Gentilly, France

Galerie Suzanne Pons, Cannes, France 1984 Théâtre Municipal, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg 1983 Galerie Luxembourg, Luxembourg 1982 Maison de la Culture, Nantes, France

Rétrospective de peintures et dessins de 1955 à 1982, Musée des Beaux Arts André Malraux, Le Havre, France 1980 Galerie Arts et Lettres, Saint-Nazaire, France

Syn’Art, Paris, France 1979 Galerie Suillerot, Paris, France

Galerie Musée de Poche, Paris, France

Galerie France, Bordeaux, France 1978 Paul Bruck Gallery, Luxembourg

Galerie San Carlo, Naples, Italy

Maison de la Culture, Saint-Étienne, France 1977 Antiope Gallery, Sorrento, Italy

Mikeldi Gallery, Bilbao, Spain

Retrospective, Maison de la Culture of Saint-Etienne, France 1975 Galerie Sagittaire, Annemasse, France 1974 Galerie Soleil, Paris 1973 Galerie Horn, Luxembourg 1972 Mikeldi Gallery, Bilbao, Spain

Galerie Die Dritte Welt, Munich, Germany 1970 Galerie Royal Luxembourg, Nice, France 1969 La Galerie Roger Le Grall, Paris, France

La Galerie Henri Grégoire, Marseilles, France

Tenth São Paulo Biennial, São Paulo, Brazil

1968 1967

1965

Latzer Gallery, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland Latzer Gallery, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland La Galerie Raber, Lucerne, Switzerland La Galerie de l’Université de Paris, Paris, France Galerie l’Art et la View, Lyon France La Galerie de l’Université de Paris, Paris, France Latzer Gallery, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland L’art au Village, Saint-Jeoire en Faucigny, Haute Savoie, France 1963 Galerie Legendre, Paris, France 1962 Galerie Legendre, Paris, France

Galerie Baier, Mayence, France 1960 Galerie Legendre, Paris, France 1958 Galerie du Haut-Pavé, Paris, France 1954 Zhongshan-Tang, Taipei, Taiwan

Musée d’Art Contemporain de la Ville de Liège, Liège, Belgium Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France Musée Hyacinthe Rigaud, Perpignan, France Musée National des Arts Asiatiques Guimet, Paris, France Museum of Modern Art, Belgrade, Serbia National Museum, Dhaka, Bangladesh National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan Olympic Museum, Lausanne, Switzerland Présidence de la CFDT, Paris, France Présidence de la Société des Eaux, Marseille, France Shanghai Museum of Art, Shanghai, China

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

MONOGRAPHS

Art Collection of Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri Bibliotheca Nacional, Bogotá, Colombia Bibliothéque Nationale, Paris, France Cuauhtemoc Museum, Chihuahua, Mexico Direction du Centre Hospitalier de Bunet, Toulon, France Fondation Septentrion, Marcq-en-Baroeul, France Fonds Départmental d’Art Contemporain du Val-de-Marne, Valde-Marne, France Fonds du Musée d’Art Contemporain de Bourg-en-Bresse, Bourg-en-Bresse, France Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris, France Fondation Septentrion, Marcq-en-Baroeul, France Foundation Dimension Endowment of Art, Taipei, Taiwan Guangdong Museum of Art, Canton, China Hou Cheng-Ting Cultural Foundation, Taipei, Taiwan Mairie de la Ville Vitry-sur-Seine, France Mairie de Sochaux: M.A.I.S., France Maison de la Culture de la Société des Eaux, Marseille, France Musée Bertrand, Châteauroux, France Musée Cernuschi, Paris, France Musée de Pierrefeu, Nice, France Musée des Beaux-Arts André Malraux, Le Havre, France Musée d’Art Contemporain, Dunkirk, France

Cabanne, Pierre. Chu Teh-Chun. Cercle d’Art Publications: Paris, 1993.

Cabanne, Pierre. Chu Teh-Chun. Flammarion: Paris, 2000.

Chu Teh-Chun. The Ueno Royal Museum, Tokyo, Thin Chang Corporation: Tokyo, 2007 Chu Teh-Chun: Retrospective. Beijing: The National Art Museum of China, 2010.

Chu Teh-Chun: Editions des Œurves des l’Académie des Beaux-Arts de l’Institut de France. Editions de l’Education du Hebei: Paris, 2005, catalogue with essay by Lydia Harambourg Desroches, Jean-Paul. Of Snow, Gold, And Sky Blue: Ceramic Works

by Chu Teh-Chun. Éditions de La Martinière: Paris, 2009 Li Lei, ed. Chu Teh-Chun: Exposition of Recent Paintings by Chu Teh-Chun. Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai Bookstore Publishing House: Shanghai, 2005 Rémy, Pierre-Jean. Chu Teh-Chun. Éditions de la Différence: Paris, 2006 Wu, Gang. Chu Teh-Chun, Shijiazhuang, Éditions de l’éducation du Hebei, 2008 Zu, Wei. Chu Teh-Chun, Shanghai, Wen Hui Éditions, 2001

Shanghai Opera House, Shanghai, China Société Corima, Paris, France Tapei Fine Art Museum, Taipei, Taiwan Taiwan Museum of Art, Taichung, Taiwan

TH E A RT IST PA IN T IN G A VAS E IN TH E STU D IO AT LA MA N UFACTUR E DE SÈVR ES, 2007.

N E W YO R K /

MADRID /

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Important Works available by: Impressionists and Post-Impressionists; Twentieth-Century European Masters; German Expressionists; Post-War American Artists Maeve O’Regan Brittany Piccuirro, Sebastian Sarmiento P H O T O G R A P H Y / Matt Aletti All photographs of the artist © Atelier Chu Teh-Chun.

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C H U T EH - C H U N MARCH 19 - APRIL 19, 2014

40 WEST 57TH STR EET N E W YO R K , N E W YO R K 1 0 0 1 9 | 2 1 2 - 5 4 1 - 4 9 0 0 M A R L B O R O U G H G A L L E R Y.C O M