Sanyu : Hors-Champ

Exhibition at Galerie Diane de Polignac, Paris, 10 October - 16 November 2024

A major figure in modern Chinese art, Sanyu (1895-1966) combined Chinese calligraphy and avant-garde Western painting in his work. Living in Paris, he sketched nudes on live models.

Between the wars, technical experimentation influenced the artistic field. The camera, as used by Man Ray in the studio and Jacques-Henri Lartigue on location, among others, turned the system of representation on its head. In his drawing, Sanyu also challenged the academicism of the time, sometimes arranging his models 'on the edge'.

This exhibition catalogue offers a modern, cross-disciplinary reading of the drawings by the 'Chinese Matisse'.