Hsiao Chin

A pioneering artist of Chinese contemporary art, Hsiao Chin has gained international recognition for his work which cleverly infusing Eastern philosophies of the universe with Western religion.

Hsiao Chin was born in 1935 in Shanghai. His father, Hsiao Yu-mei, was a pioneer in modern Chinese music education, while his uncle, Wang Hseuhting, was an important politician and academic. During the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Hsiao accompanied Wang to Taiwan. In 1951, Hsiao entered the Art Department at National Taipei Teachers College under the supervision of the renowned woodcut printmaker Chou Ying and studied sketching under Chu Teh-chu.

Hsiao received a scholarship from the Spanish government in 1955. However, disillusioned by the extreme conservatism of an academic institution in Madrid, Hsiao decided against moving there and instead moved to Barcelona and Paris, eventually settling in Milan in 1959.

Against the backdrop of the Cold War, Hsiao bridged the divide between the Eastern and Western art worlds, and founded the Il Punto movement in 1961. Thirteen exhibitions featuring artists from around the world were held in different European cities throughout 1961 to 1966, stimulating an exchange between East and West.

Hsiao’s work from this period reflects the major cultural traits of East and West, in which he created a distinctive mode of philosophical abstract painting and shaped his first mature period. His work clearly expressed his interest in exploring the mysteries of the universe and living energy; while the circular and square symbols seem to echo “heaven is round and earth is square,” an Eastern concept of the universe that underpins many of his artworks.

Source: The Value, "Sotheby’s Presents Hsiao Chin’s Largest Solo Exhibition in Hong Kong," 24 Sep, 2019