Gao Xingjian 高行健 (b. 1940)

Gao Xingjian is a novelist, playwright, painter, photographer as well as film and theatre director; sustaining a successful career both in academic and artistic disciplines. Born in Jiangxi province, Gao studied French at the Beijing Foreign Studies University and was the first Chinese individual to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature in 2000.

Gao’s paintings are works of art that bear an original and unique artistic vision that is equal to his outstanding literary oeuvre. “Painting begins where language fails” is one of Gao’s famous quotes which succinctly characterizes his art and his philosophy in life. Gao’s creation of space and depth are not direct observations but spatial dimensions felt by his inner self. His proficiency in using Chinese brushstrokes and applying ink to create works on paper and canvas has created and inspired new directions in Chinese ink painting. He often portrays his inner mindscape, leading the audience to a world invisible to the human eye. A silhouette is often portrayed to mirror an onlooker who seeks deeper meaning in life. Even though Gao has lived in France for thirty years, much of his philosophy still strongly relates to his Chinese aesthetics and Buddhism; his works reflect this unique identity. Gao has held more than thirty exhibitions around the world. In 2015, a retrospective exhibition was held at the Musee D’Ixelles, Brussels and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts Brussels acquired a work for their permanent collection. Gao currently lives and works in France.

Education

1962 | Beijing Foreign Studies University

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2021 | Solitude, iPreciation, Singapore / National Taiwan Normal University, Gao Xingjian Centre, Taipei, Taiwan
2019 | Art Paris 2019, Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris, France
2017 | Gao Xingjian The Awakening of Consciousness, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
2016 | Gao Xingjian – Layers of Light, Ink in Mind, Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
2016 | Gao Xingjian Solo Exhibition, Galerie Simoncini, Luxembourg
2016 | Calling for A New Renaissance, Asia Art Centre, Taipei, Taiwan
2015 | Gao Xingjian: Retrospective, Museum of Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium
2015 | The Awakening of Consciousness, The Royal Museums of Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium
2015 | L’intérêt d’un instant, J.Bastien Art, Brussels, Belgium
2015 | Wandering And Metaphysical Thoughts, Aktis Gallery, London, UK
2015 | Gao Xingjian: Llamada A Un Renacimiento, Sala kubo-kutxa, San Sebastián, Spain
2013 | Asia Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
2013 | The Art Gallery, University of Maryland, US
2013 | iPreciation, Singapore
2012 | An Exhibition of Ink on Canvas Paintings by Gao Xingjian, iPreciation, Hong Kong
2012 | Galerie Simoncini, Luxembourg
2011 | iPreciation, Singapore
2011 | Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris, France
2011 | Galería Senda, Barcelona, Spain
2011 | J. Bastien Art Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2010 | iPreciation, Singapore
2010 | Asian Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
2010 | CasalSolleric, Palma, Spain
2010 | J. Bastien Art Gallery, Brussels, Belgium

Selected Group Exhibitions

2019 | Art season, Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire – Centre d’Arts et de Nature, Chaumont-sur-Loire, France
2018 | Presentation during 4th Barcelona Gallery Weekend 2018, Galería Senda, Barcelona, Spain
2017 | And What, for Example, Am I Now Seeing?, Galleria Continua – Les Moulins, Boissy-le-Châtel, France
2016 | L’esprit singulier – Collection de l’Abbaye d’Auberive, Halle Saint Pierre, Paris, France
2015 | BRAFA 15, Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair, Bruxelles, Belgique
2015 | Hong Kong Art Basel, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong
2014 | Art Paris, Grand Palais, France
2013 | Art Paris, Grand Palais, France
2012 | BRAFA 12, Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair, Bruxelles, Belgique
2009 | Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris, France
2008 |Art Paris, Paris, France
2007 | Kunst 07, Zurich, Switzerland
2006 | Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne, Switzerland
2005 | Art Paris, Carousel du Louvre, Paris, France
2005 | Galleria Torbandena, Trieste, Italy
2005 | Galerie Alice Pauli, Lausanne, Switzerland