Cui Ruzhuo

Cui Ruzhuo (born 1944, Beijing) is one of the most important artists of our time. Working in ink painting and calligraphy, he regenerates traditional imagery and techniques to depict Chinese mountain landscapes. Influenced by the historic literati painting tradition, Cui developed his own method, in which several thin layers of ink wash are applied to paper and forms are further defined with dark outlines. The resulting works possess a complex meditative quality. In his early years, Cui studied under Li Kuchan and taught at the Academy of Arts and Design in Beijing before moving to the United States in 1981. After returning to China in the mid‑1990s, he began serving as a doctoral supervisor at the Chinese National Academy of Arts. Cui has held solo exhibitions at numerous renowned museums, including the National Museum of China, the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Hong Kong Arts Centre, the National Museum of History in Taipei, and the Macau Museum of Art. Among other distinctions, he was appointed as the President of the Chinese Painting Research Institute at the Palace Museum Academy. Cui lives and works in Beijing.