HSIAO CHIN
1935, China

Hsiao Chin was born in Shanghai in 1935 and his family moved to Taiwan in 1949. He grew up surrounded by art and music. The influence of music came from his father, Hsiao Yo-Mei, the esteemed Chinese conductor and composer who founded the National Conservatory in Shanghai. It is no surprise that with all the artistic influences Hsiao Chin pursued drawing and painting at the National Taiwan Normal University where he studied under Li Chun-Sen, an important figure in the development of Contemporary Chinese painting. During his time in Taiwan, Hsiao helped to find Ton Fan, the first group of Chinese painters to promote Chinese Abstract Art as a movement. In the later years, Hsiao organized over thirty shows for the Ton Fan group in the West.
Hsiao Chin belongs to the second generation of Chinese artists who have gone abroad to study, following the footsteps of well- known Chinese artists Lin Fengmian and Xu Beihong. In 1956, Hsiao received a scholarship from the Spanish Government and continued to pursue art in Barcelona. He stayed there for three years before settling down in Milan, Italy. While in Spain, Hsiao became friends with several artists who founded the "Informalism" group. These artists included Tapies and Millares. In 1961, Hsiao founded the "Punto" International Art movement in Milan with several Italian and Japanese artists, such as, Calderara and Azuma.

Hsiao has explored many avenues and has employed various means in his search for a universal language in art. He went to New York in 1966 when the American "Hard Edge" movement was at its full swing. Hsiao began to engage himself in hard-edge paintings characterized by striking parallel colored strips, creating a world of dynamic tension.

In 1975, he began to paint in ideogrammatic forms on a subdued background with tempera and ink. His interest in Oriental philosophy prompted him to seek for something that is akin to Taoist philosophy. He is concerned with the duality principle, the balance between Yin and Yang. Hsiao insists that the mental state of the painter is of the utmost importance. Each painting is a record of the mind of the painter at a certain space and time. In this way, Hsiao's paintings became visual records of his inner state in which he tries to be in accord with. The Taoist principles being: simplicity; purity; and nothingness.

Since 1957 Hsiao Chin has held over 60 one-man shows and has participated in almost 100 group and solo shows throughout Europe, Taiwan, and the United States. He has also organized traveling European Contemporary Art exhibitions in Taiwan as well as traveling exhibitions of Chinese paintings in Europe.

Biography

1935 Born in Shanghai, China. Son of Hsiao Yo-Mei, composer, conductor, and founder of the National Conservatory in Shanghai.
1949 Moves to Taiwan with his family.
1951 Enters the National Taiwan Normal University and studies at the Faculty of Fine Arts until 1955.
1951-55 Studies painting and drawing in Taipei with Li Chun-Sen.
1956 Receives a scholarship from the Spanish government and goes to Barcelona. Meets the Spanish "Informalism" group which included artists such as Tapies, Saura, Cuixart, Millares, and Feito. Proceeds to travel and work in Spain, France, England, and Italy.
1957 Founding member of the first Chinese Abstract Art Movement, the "Ton Fan" group, Taipei, Taiwan.
1959 Moves to Milan, and there becomes acquainted with Fontana, Manzoni, and Castellani.
1961 Founding member of the International Punto Movement, Milan, Italy.
1964-72 Works and lives in Paris, London, New York, and Milan
1969 Teaches painting and design at Southampton College, Long Island, NY, U.S.A.
1974 Hsiao is granted Italian citizenship.
1978 Founding member of the International Art Movement, "Surya", Milan, Italy.
1983 Teaches artistic anatomy at the Academy of Fine Arts, Urbino, Italy.
1985 Teachestechnique at the Brera Academy, Milan, Italy.
1986 Is invited by the Republican Chinese Government to the Commemoration Ceremony of the 120th Anniversary of the birth of Sun Yat-Sen, founder of the Republic of China.
1988 Studio Marconi in Milan organizes a large retrospective exhibition of Hsiao Chin's work from 1958 to 1988.
1990 The University of Macerata honours Hsiao Chin with a show of his Tienanmen series, created during his stay in Mainland China in 1989.
1992 The Taiwan Museum of Art honours Hsiao Chin with a retrospective show of his works from the years 1955 to 1992.
Awards

1969 Capo d'Orlando painting prize.
1975 "Masters of Italian Painting Prize", Marsala, Italy.
1976 Second Prize for International Art, Filottrano, Italy.
1984 Gold medal at the Norwegian International Print Biennale, Fredristad, Norway.
1985 Prize awarded at the XIII Art Awards in the city of Gallarate, Italy.
1989 "The First Achievement Award" from the Li Chun-Sen Foundation of Contemporary Painting, Taipei, Taiwan.
1994 First Prize "al XXI Premio Internazionale d'Arte Contemporanea, Sulmona (AQ), Italy.
Solo Exhibitions

1957 Municipal Museum, Mataró, Spain.
1964 Museum of Maribor, Maribor, Yugoslavia.
1975 Civic Museum of Modern Art, Modena, Italy.
1978 National Museum of History and Lung Men Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan.
1985 The Hong Kong Institute for Promotion of Chinese Culture, Hong Kong.
Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan.
1989 Contemporary Art Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan.
1990 International Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
1992 Taiwan Museum of Art, Taipei, Taiwan.
1993 “ A Taoist Way to Colour,” Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong
Contemporary Art Gallery, Taichung, Taiwan.
1994 Beijing Central Art Academy and Hangzhou Chinese Art Academy, Hsiao’s first exhibitions in China.
1995 Taipei Fine Arts Museum.
1996 Flash Art Museum.
1998 Shanghai Biennale
2000 7th Biennale international of Architecture of Vience
2002 Exhibition of works on paper, on canvas and ceramic at Galleries in Milan, including Galleria Marconi, Fondazione Mudima, Studio Lattuada, Spazio Oberdan
2003-04 Travelling Exhibition at Chiao Tung University Arts Centre, Hsin Chu; Taiwan Ocean University Arts Centre, Keelung; Central University Arts Centre, Chungli; Chenkung University Art Centre, Tainan; Chungshan Unversity, Kaohsiung; Tainan National University
2004/5 Shanghai Art Museum
2004/5 Palazzo Medici Riccard
2004/5 M’ARS Contemporary Art Museum of Moscou
2004/5 Recanati City Art Mseum, Italy
2004/5 Guangdong Art Museum
Hsiao’s works have been exhibited in the galleries in the following countries: Italy, Belgium, Germany, France, U.S.A., Holland, Switzerland, Taiwan, Brazil, Denmark, Japan, Spain
EpilogueHsiao's works have been exhibited in the galleries in the following countries: Italy, Belgium, Germany, France, U.S.A., Holland, Switzerland, Taiwan, Brazil, Denmark, Japan, Spain

Collections

The Museum of Modern Art, New York, U.S.A.
The Metropolitan Museum, New York, U.S.A.
The New York Public Library, New York, U.S.A.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, U.S.A.
The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, U.S.A.
Fogg Art Museum, Boston, U.S.A.
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna, Rome, Italy.
Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart, Germany.
Musé¥ Cantonal des Beaux-Arts, Lausanne, Switzerland.
National Museum of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
Museo de Arte Moderno, Barcelona, Spain.
Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Barcelona, Spain.
National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan.
Taiwan Museum of Art, Taichung, Taiwan.

Source: http://alisan.com.hk/Hsiao_Chin.html