Guan Weixing was born in
Dunhua County, Jilin Province, China in 1940.
In 1960, when Guan Weixing was still a first grade student in Luxun
Fine Arts Academy, Eugen Popa, a Romanian Professor, broke a rule in
order to accept Guan into his oil painting training class. And in 1962,
he was graduated a master. So
far, many of his works have been published, collected, and exhibited
not only in many national exhibitions but also in international ones
held in America, Japan, France and so on. Among them, "First snow"
won the gold medal in the American watercolor exhibition; "Friends"
was awarded at 126th Annual International Watercolor Exhibition in USA,
and was selected for the annual traveling exhibition. The book ¡¶Memories
of Peking: South Side Stories¡·, containing more than 80 illustrations
by Guan Weixing, won International Best Illustration Award in 1992,1993
and 1994.
Guan's
accomplishment in watercolor is highly praised. His figures' structure
is solid, the mould-making accurate, the style free and easy, the color
elegant. His works, such as "Holy mother in the world", "First
look at the world", "Autumn fun", "Old farmer from
Shanbei", "Youth", "Guard", "Girl in full
dress", "Child fun" have won him great fame worldwide.
Some AWS members comment that he is a "great master", "among
the best all over the world", "a very highly skilled and talented
artist", and that "nothing can surpass his works". And
he was selected as the only member from Asia to join the world famous
watercolor delegation of ten top watercolorists, led by Leslie Worth,
former president of English Royal Watercolor Society. Mr. Worth said
he had never thought before that China has so excellent a watercolorist.
"His works are fresh and elegant. Every picture is a lyric. They
are a perfect combination of great talent and superb techniques."
In 1996, as a delegated
watercolorexpert of Chinese
Culture Ministry, Mr Guan entered "Chinese Watercolor Exhibition"held
in Tunis. Hisworks are thought to be "inconceivable", "watercolor
magic", and "simply not achievable". A legion of admirers
and followers thought his brushes were magical and collected all of
the painter's paraphernalia. He was invited to give lectures in fine
arts academy and made TV specials.
The recently completed huge-sized watercolor "Villagers viewing
opera" (200cm x 130cm ) vividly depicts dozens of simple and honest
villagers, with different characters and various expressions of extreme
life likeness. In October,1998, Guan's solo exhibition held in Beijing
was second to none in the field and got myriads of recognition. Nowadays
he is regarded as one of the most authoritative and influential watercolorists.
In 2005, Guan Weixing held a solo exhibition for the first time in USA at the invitation of Ambleside Gallery, and it was a great success. The viewers moved to tears were even more than those at home. The local TV station produced a DVD introducing his art and his painting process, the radio station interviewed him, and a writer edited a book for his works. Some comment goes like this,¡±Mr. Guan doesn¡¯t belong to China, or America. He belongs to the world. He is the master of art in the world.¡± The viewers collected many of his works at high prices. During the exhibition, one of his works, ¡°Aged Man¡± won the award ¡°Former President Award¡± of the 85th National Watercolor exhibition, and because of that Mr. Guan was honoured as the member of American National Watercolor Society. He was respected and well beloved by American people.
In 2007, Mr. Guan Weixing went to America to hold his exhibitions in New York, Houston and Greensboro. Just like before, his works were also highly praised and the viewers strongly hope they can enjoy more of his exhibitions soon.
Now Mr. Guan Weixing is represented in the US by Ambleside Gallery ( http://www.amblesidearts.com ).
At present Guan Weixing
is director of China Fine Arts Association, vice president of Chinese
Watercolor Association, juror of National Watercolor Exhibition, and
titled national-level master of fine arts.