Zao Wou-Ki: Graphic Works (working title) explores the Chinese-French artist’s life, his prints, and his mastery of abstraction. It sheds new light on Zao’s printmaking practice, introducing the unique aesthetics, techniques, and styles of this medium while investigating the connections between oil painting and printmaking as equally significant aspects of his oeuvre. The exhibition explores how Zao’s printmaking catalysed his experiments in abstraction and considers the role of prints as a visual and conceptual vehicle that facilitated the circulation of his works, positioning him as an eminent cross-cultural figure in the post-war art landscapes of Europe, Asia, and the United States.

From his first attempts in 1949 upon arriving in Paris, Zao quickly mastered various printmaking techniques and incorporated them into his work, a practice he maintained throughout the rest of his career. The exhibition traces Zao’s aesthetic, and technical progression in print mediums such as etching and lithography and how they resonated with the themes and artistic styles of his oil paintings. It also highlights his graphic art commissioned for publications of prominent modern poets in France, illustrating his relationships with French literary circles.