05/16/2012
Ming Fu’s first major show was in 1995 at the China Contemporary Art Gallery in Beijing, followed by a number of other exhibitions, including at the Swedish Embassy in China, the Italian Embassy in China, the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Hong Kong and the Ya Shang Art Gallery in the China World Trade Center in Beijing. The Hong Kong exhibit, in 1998, was attended by numerous collectors, dignitaries and celebrities. It brought Ming Fu almost instant fame. “As more and more people become interested in my works, they gradually become my friends. Many Chinese people who live in Southeast Asia got to know me through the Hong Kong show.” Ming Fu believes that those who are familiar with Chinese culture “see their dreams” in his works while westerners identify with aspects of his art that are common to their cultures. Collectors of Western and Indian art especially appreciate Ming Fu’s studies of the cultures of Mongolia. Hunting and recreation are centered around the tribal horsewomen captured by Ming Fu in his paintings. “Beauty is what I pursue in my art,” said Ming Fu. “I always try to learn about and portray beautiful things, no matter what background they are in, be it traditional, modern, abstract, realistic, decorative, lyrical, oriental or occidental.” As a child, Ming Fu liked to study the works of the classical masters in the Forbidden City. “Their delicate coloring and brush strokes, vivid portraits and classical style always thrilled me,” he said. While he learned various forms of fine art in school, the impressions made on him by the ancient masterpieces never left him. “They are simply indelible,” he said. While an admirer of the classics, and a painter of traditional Chinese style, Ming Fu is adaptive and is able to link Chinese classics with western modernism. One of his collectors said, “His paintings combine the delicacy of the East and boldness of the West, giving viewers a strong but comfortable feeling.” Ming Fu’s style appeals to Santa Feans’ tastes, from the lighter shades and subtleties of his Mongolian images to the bold colors and lines in his traditional Chinese scenes. His works meld perfectly with Southwestern décor.
