XU BEIHONG (1895-1953)

Wang Shangyi (1905-1972), a native of Zhongshan, Guangdong, was interested in paintings and calligraphy from an early age. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, he followed the Nationalist government to Sichuan and worked at the Central News Agency. During this period, he worked closely with artists in Chongqing such as Fu Baoshi, Li Xiongcai, Huang Junbi, Xu Beihong and others. Wang Shangyi and these friends often gifted works to each other. He went to Hong Kong after 1949, then moved to the United States after 1964 where he worked at the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin.