Art, Design & Fashion
Distinguished
Xu Beihong
1895 β 1953
Painter of galloping horses and reformer of art education
Distinguished is level 3 of 4 in the China Hall of Fame: sustained excellence over a career, widely honoured at home. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
A painter famous for his ink paintings of galloping horses, who brought Western techniques of drawing into Chinese art education.
Xu Beihong studied art in Paris and combined European realism with Chinese brushwork. He led the art academy in Beijing that became the Central Academy of Fine Arts and shaped the training of generations of Chinese artists.
His horses, drawn with a few bold strokes, remain among the most recognisable images in modern Chinese art.
His horses, drawn with a few bold strokes, remain among the most recognisable images in modern Chinese art.
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