Hua Chen (Born 1952) Chinese/American, Oil on Canvas Ballerinas. Title: "Before the Performance." Original painting of several ballet students getting ready, signed bottom right. Title written on back of canvas. Label on back from Epic Norwegian with artist name and date of January 13th, 2012. 

Overall: 33 3/4 x 33 3/4 in. 

Sight: 23 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. 

#9228 . 

Hua Chen was born in 1952 in Shanghai, in the People’s Republic of China. Growing up in such a westernized portion of China, Chen was exposed to an array of American and European culture that he might not have seen elsewhere. His father was a famous sculptor whose work is still on view today. Chen expressed an early interest in art that his parents encouraged, but he grew up during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), which sought to remove capitalist influences from Chinese culture, and led him to greatly appreciate and miss the art he had seen in his youth that was now being censured and destroyed. In 1976 Chen earned a BFA from Anhui Teacher’s University. He then attained an MFA from the Central Institute of the Fine Arts in Beijing, where he focused on sketching, watercolors, and oil painting. He earned several titles and awards including Chairman of Anhui Oil Painting Research Association, and became a member of the Artists Association of China. After relocating to the United States in the late 1990s Chen’s work quickly caught the attention of Western critics and collectors after finding representation through Park West Gallery and being displayed in the national directory Artists of Chinese Origin in North America. His first one man show in New York was a great success, and led to annual exhibitions in Japan, Hawaii, California, and throughout China. His favorite subject is the female form, but his post-Impressionist style also captures landscapes and cityscapes as well, often incorporating musical elements and themes, and critics have particularly praised his merging of classic Asian influences with the styles of Degas, de Kooning, and modern abstract artists. Chen was an artist for the 2008 U.S. Olympic team and created official artwork for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. His works are found the world over in private collections, with his highest honor being a permanent display at the National Art Museum of China.