It was the time when Carzou hated Picasso who hated Buffet who loved Warhol.

All dead.

It was the time when Etiemble went mad when he found out that Gutenburg had invented printing.

Dead.

It was the time when art historians didn't know China existed.

All dead.

- Hey, is there another half of the world ?

In 1960 , as part of UNESCO project, the International Association (I wish !) of Art organised a Meeting of
" Westerrn arrtists-Easterrn arrtists". Oriental countries invited to take part : Ceylon, Irak, Japan, India, Pakistan and Thailand. From China, no-one. The Unesco spokesman dared to utter 4 names in his introduction : Kuo Hsi,
Mi Fu, Mao Meng Fu, Shen Shou.

- So there actually is Chinese art ?

- And Chinese artists ?

And yet : a few decades ago, Xu Beihong organised great exhibitions in Paris and Berlin. Picasso realised that
Qi Baishi was a master. Chang Yu the Chinese man, wanted to share his version of Picasso. The first Chinese woman to come to France, Pan Yulin the Frenchman painted the Chinese way. Lin Fengmian the chinese man studying in Dijon, and hoards of Chinese had spent time in Europe. In France, but also in Germany, and Italy.
Liu Haisu the pioneer....even He Xiang Ning, Mao's friend, the first Chinese man to study painting in Japan,
spent time in Paris.

Danièle Sicard presented Walasse Ting. Thankfully. He was a great artist right from the start, with such amazing freedom! Thanks to him we have the bible of the 1960s. Mixed in with his poetry, are the works of artists of the time, from Pop to CoBrA. Ting is dead. No announcement : contemporary art magazines couldn't bring themselves to mention an artist who had gone so wrong after 70 (better not mention the last Vlaminck, the second Chirico),
a significant artist to ramble on about in insignificant exhibitions.

Danièle Sicard, then put Hsiao Chin in the spotlight. A world famous artist, but shunned by French galleries. 3 exhibitions : 66, 74, 98. And the French are still unaware of him.

Tang Haiwen is dead. And May, pure, beloved. Zao Wou Ki unconsolable, immortal. In Carzou's armchair.

Chu Teh Chun, both French and at the Academy .....French ? They are Chinese : in their writing, on Yi Jing, Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism, even atheistic. Their never-ending story. All the gods, the rivers, and mythical origins. Moulded out of loess..

So similar and yet so different. Huang Yong Ping and Yan Pei Ming,red and black. Wang Keping, Ma Desheng and the beautiful,rebellious and cultured Li Shuang, the venus of xingxing, the stars. Yang Jiechang, Wang Yan Cheng, Ru Xiaofan ... Feng Xiao-Min ...

4 references, in France :

- Modern Chinese Art : 15.05 20.06 1997 Espace Belleville CFDT 4 Bd de la Villette Paris19.

Curator : Gérard Xuriguera

- Transparence, opacité ? 14 contemporary Chinese artists : 1999-2000 Exhibition in Europe.

Curator : Marie-José Mondzain

- Next generation / Asian modern art : 27.06 09.09 2001 Passage de Retz Paris 03.

Curator : Michel Nuridsany.

- Made by Chinese : 2002 Galerie Enrico Navarra (with Hanart TZ Gallery) 16 Avenue Matignon Paris 08.

From 2005 onwards, following on from The year of China, there was a big get together in Europe, the work of 3
or 4 independent ? ! biased curators, serving up Chinese artists, in a western sauce (The best Chinese restaurants in the world are in Belleville, ha ha ha !). Bling bling. By the way, what is China, and being Chinese ? The continent, Hong Kong, Taiwan ? 1 country 2 systems ? zhonguoren, huaqiao ? And what about Gao Xingjian ? Nowadays, in France, every gallery curator has to display 1 Chinese (from China), like 1 Rolex (de Chine). Then they look to India, Iran, Russia, the jackpot.

2010 the re-vision has begun.True talent, in China are unknown in the west. And there's a new generation of artists, calling out to us.

Danièle Sicard sets out to show us who are China, and who love China more than anything else - ban ge zhongguoren - this Extreme Asia. Thank-you.

Michel Nau   2010