The Art Month will officially begin, with ongoing events, and M+ will unveil the lesser-known creative aspects of the French-Chinese master Zhao Wuji!
In art history, Zao Wou-Ki is renowned for seamlessly blending Eastern aesthetics with Western modern art through his unique abstract language, establishing a paradigm for cross-cultural artistic creation. However, compared to his famous oil paintings, Zao Wou-Ki’s achievements in printmaking remain relatively unknown. The upcoming exhibition “Zao Wou-Ki: Works on Paper” at M+ not only fills this gap in research but also comprehensively showcases the deep expertise and innovative spirit of this master artist in the realm of print media.
This special exhibition is jointly curated by M+ and the Zao Wou-Ki Foundation, and it is the first comprehensive large-scale retrospective in Asia to study Zao Wou-Ki’s works on paper. It brings together over 200 pieces, including prints, illustrated books, paintings, and works on paper created between 1949 and 2000, showcasing the achievements of this French-Chinese master in the field of graphic arts.
The highlights of the exhibition lie in the fact that the artworks are primarily from the generous donation by François Marc, the widow of Zao Wou-Ki, making M+ the museum with the richest collection of Zao Wou-Ki’s prints outside of France. The team has adopted a balanced approach that emphasizes both chronology and themes, outlining the artist’s artistic journey since arriving in Paris in 1949 and showcasing how he integrated printmaking into his overall artistic practice.
Key exhibits include: “Henri Michaux Reads Zao Wou-Ki’s Lithographs” (1950), “Place de Vienne” (1951), and “Ode to Poetry and Painting” (1976), among other representative works. These pieces not only showcase Zao Wou-Ki’s exquisite mastery of printmaking techniques but also reflect his deep connections to the French cultural scene. In particular, the lithographs he created for modern French poets have become visual poems that transcend language barriers.
Through meticulous planning, the exhibition showcases how Zao Wou-Ki developed a unique aesthetic language across various media, including etching and lithography, and how these relate intertextually to his oil paintings. Notably, the exhibition not only displays the works but is also supplemented with a wealth of valuable archival materials to help the audience understand how Zao Wou-Ki established his status as a cross-cultural artist in the post-war art scenes of Europe, Asia, and the United States. M+ will also publish monographs in English and Traditional Chinese, providing essential references for studies on Zao Wou-Ki’s printmaking art.
Zao Wou-Ki once said: “Applying color to a huge piece of white porous stone is no different from applying color to rice paper.” This quote vividly describes his passion for lithography.
The importance of this exhibition lies not only in its comprehensive presentation of Zao Wou-Ki’s works on paper for the first time, but also in revealing how an artist can achieve dialogue and fusion between Eastern and Western art through the medium of printmaking. For audiences interested in the development of modern art, it is undoubtedly a rare artistic exploration journey.
Let’s step into the enchanting world of this cross-cultural artist and explore how he seamlessly blends Eastern aesthetics with Western techniques!
Date: December 13, 2025 – April 2026
Location: M+ Ground Floor Exhibition Hall
