Biography - Qu Leilei
Qu Leilei was born in 1951 in Hei Long Jiang province China. He lives and works in London.
Qu Leilei was a founding member of the Stars
Group, the first ever contemporary art movement to
appear in China creating a new challenging artistic language.
Regarded as one of China’s leading contemporary artists, in
recent years, he has created four major
projects in form of a combination of paintings and
installations: The First Half of My Life, Here and
Now - to Face a New Century, Everyone's Life is
An Epic and Brush, Ink, Light,Shadow.
These have been exhibited both nationally and internationally
at venues including the Venice Biennale, the Beijing
Biennale, the Ashmolean Museum,and
the China National Art Gallery.
His works comprise a blend of classical Chinese and
Western art techniques combined with modern concepts.
In unison these pieces reflect the artist's deep concern
for humanity in particular today's people and the
conditions in which we all live.
His work has been collected by prominent institutions such as The
British Museum, the Victoria & Albert Museum,
The Ashmolean Museum, China’s National Gallery, Barclays Bank, amongst others.
Since childhood he has always been a practitioner of Chinese calligraphy and
has published seven books three of which are concerned with calligraphy.
He lectures in classic and modern Chinese Art, at the British Museum, the Victoria
& Albert, the Royal Academy of Arts, London University, Sotheby’s and Christie’s.
| 1951 | Born in Hei Long Jiang, China . (1955 Whole family moved to Beijing) |
| 1958 - 1964 | Studied traditional Chinese Painting and Calligraphy under Mr Tan Wan Cun ( Mr Tan studied under Qi Bai Shi and Tian Shi Guang ) |
| 1973 | on wards self educated in Western Art from Renaissance to post modern and traditional Chinese Painting and Calligraphy |
| 1977- 1978 | Studied human anatomy at Beijing Medical University |
| 1986 -1988 | Central School of art London where he studied under Mr Cecil Collins |
| 1989 - today | freelance artist |
MAIN EXHIBITIONS
| 2015 | ‘Hand Series and Lei Feng’, British Museum, London ‘Silent Revelations’, Hua Gallery, London, solo show |
| 2014 | ‘Modern Brush and Ink’, Frank Page Gallery, Geneva, solo show |
| 2011 | 'Brush Ink Light Shadow' , The National Art Museum of China, Beijing, solo show |
| 2009 | Leda Fletcher Gallery, Geneva, solo show |
| 2008 | ‘Brush, Ink, Light, Shadow' Littleton&Hennessy Asian Art, New York, solo show |
| 2007 | 'Brush Ink Light Shadow', Leda Fletcher Gallery, Shanghai, solo show |
| 2006 | Campbell Gallery, South Kensington London, solo show |
| 2005 | The 2nd BEIJING BIANNALE, Beijing China ‘Everyone's Life is an Epic 'One-man Show, The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford |
| 2004 | Blunden Oriental, 'Art on Paper' Royal College of Art, London |
| 2003 | Joint Exhibition with Caroline Deane, The Aldeburgh Gallery, Suffolk |
| 2002 | Galerie Leda Fletcher, Geneva, solo show |
| 2001 | The Paragon, The Cape of Good Hope Gallery, Singapore, solo show 49th BIENNALE DI VENZIA Venezia, Italy |
| 2000 | Galerie Leda Fletcher, Geneva, solo show [Art Towards Reconciliation] Guernica Museum,Spain The 'Stars' 20th Anniversary Exhibition,Tokyo, Japan |
| 1999 | 'Here and Now - to Face a New Century’, solo show, The Trueman Brewery Gallery London's East End 48th BIENNALE DI VENEZIA Venezia, Italy 'Nude', The Redfern Gallery, London, solo show |
| 1998 | 'Chinese Contemporary Art' Mountboron Castle, France [5000+1] Bilbao, Spain |
| 1997 | Chinese Contemporary Gallery, London, solo show 'Far From Shore' Pitshanger Manor and Gallery, London |
| 1996 | 'Contemporary Chinese Art' Gallery Asur, Oslo, Norway 'Fine Chinese Work of Art' Christie's, Paris |
| 1995 | Join Exhibition, The Blue Gallery, London |
| 1993 | 'East Going West' Tricycle Gallery, London, solo show |
| 1992 | 'Linear Rhythm' Calligraphy Exhibition, The Central Gallery Covent Garden, London, solo show |
| 1991 | Barclays Business Centre, Covent Garden, London, solo show |
| 1989 | 'Never Forget' Pompidou Centre, Paris The 'Stars' 10th Anniversary, Hanart Gallery, Hong Kong and Tai Pei |
| 1988 | 'Artists and Places' Barclays Business Centre, Covent Garden London |
| 1987 | 'Contemporary Chinese Art' Royal Festival Hall, London |
| 1986 | 'East Meet West' Joint Exhibition, Holland Gallery, London |
| 1985 | 'National Ceramics' Exhibition, Beijing, China |
| 1980 | The 'Stars' Exhibition 2, Beijing, China |
| 1979 | The 'Stars' Exhibition 1, Beijing, China |
LECTURES
| 1999 - today | - President, Chinese Brush Painters Society, UK |
| 1990 - today | - Lecturer : Classical and Contemporary Chinese Art Mary Ward Centre, London Ruskin School of Art, Oxford Chinese Brush Painters Society, UK SOAS / Christie's Institute, London Sotheby's Institute, London Buckinghamshire Education Centre, Gt. Missenden The Victoria & Albert Museum, London The British Museum, London The British Library, London Swan Hellenic The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Royal Academy of Arts, London |
PUBLICATIONS
| 2007 | Complete Guide of Chinese Calligraphy CICO Books |
| 2006 | Tao of Sketching CICO Books |
| 2004 | Chinese Calligraphy - Standard Script For Beginners The British Museum Press |
| 2004 | TaiChi CICO Books |
| 2003 | Chinese Brush Painting CICO Books |
| 2002 | Chinese Calligraphy CICO Books |
| 1996 | A Visual Diary by Qu LeiLei LL Books |