Luis CHAN
陳福善born in 1905, Panama ; died in 1995, Hong Kong
Luis Chan (1905-1995) was an eccentric Hong Kong genius who, as one of the first generation of Chinese modern painters, has become legendary in the history of Chinese contemporary art. The full corpus of Luis Chan’s work in his long artistic life is breathtaking in scope.
Chan was born in Panama in 1905 to Cantonese parents, and settled in Hong Kong with his family in 1910. As a landscape painter from the late 1920s to 1960, Chan developed a lively English landscape style and used to go on painting expeditions around Hong Kong, sketching watercolours that captured the rich and varied life of the enclave. By the late 1930s Chan had become known locally as the ‘King of Watercolour’.
Together with artists Lee Byng (Li Bing) and Yee Bon (Yu Ben), he was also hailed as one of the ‘Three Masters’ of Hong Kong painting. In the 1950s, Luis Chan abandoned his orthodox style and entered a period of intense experimentation with a wide spectrum of international avant-garde styles, from Abstraction to Pop and Psychedelia. In the late 1960s, Luis Chan underwent dramatic transformations in his visual rhetoric; inspired by the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong life, his landscape fantasies reach into the deep recesses of the subconscious collective mind of the city. This intensely idiosyncratic and creative outburst continued through the 1970s and 80s into a whole range of late paintings that are fantastic and cosmic in scope, with a wild visual logic all their own. Luis Chan was also a widely published art critic and writer, a renowned social figure and a seminal catalyst in Hong Kong’s art circle. From his first solo debut exhibition in 1933 until his final show in 1993, Luis Chan presented 47 solo exhibitions over his long career and published countless articles on modern art.
| 1905 | Born in Panama. His father was an overseas merchant, native of Panyu, Guangdong Province. |
| 1910 | Relocates to Hong Kong with family |
| 1934 | Joined the Hong Kong Art Club (HKAC), awarded the winner of HKAC’s annual exhibition in the same year |
| 1935 | Elected committee member of HKAC |
| 1936 | Established the Hong Kong Working Artists’ Guild (HKWAG) with Mrs. Macfadyen |
| 1938 | Started to take interest in Chinese painting theory and began to paint on xuan paper; gains the reputation as “Watercolour King” |
| 1960 | Officially established, Chinese Contemporary Artists’ Guild (CCAG), remained chairman until 1987 |
| 1989 | The Hong Kong Post Office published a set of stamps called “Modern Paintings and Sculptures of Hong Kong”, featuring painting, Figures (1965- 85), by Luis Chan |
| 1995 | Died at Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital |
Selected Solo Exhibition
| 2026 | Luis Chan’s Dreamscape: 120th Anniversary, Central Art Museum, Hangzhou Center, Hangzhou, China |
| 2024 | Luis Chan: Hong Kong Magic, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 2022-2027 | Luis Chan Studio, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong |
| All the World’s A Stage: The Art of Luis Chan, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong | |
| 2020 | A Tribute to Luis Chan, The Ink Society, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Hong Kong |
| 2019 | PSA Collection Series: Luis Chan, Power Station of Art, Shanghai, China |
| 2018 | ‘Fantasy’Luis Chan 1905-1995 A Retrospective Exhibition, Zhi Art Museum, Chengdu, China |
| Luis Chan: The World Comes To Him, Sotheby’s, New York, USA | |
| 2017 | Jazz with Luis – Retrospective of Paintings by Luis Chan – Exhibition Part 2: Urban Figures, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong |
| Jazz with Luis – Retrospective of Paintings by Luis Chan – Exhibition Part 1: Landscape Fantasy, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong | |
| 2012 | The World of Luis Chan, Shanghai Art Museum, Shanghai, China |
| 2006 | The World of Luis Chan, He Xiangning Art Museum, Shenzhen, China |
| 2004 | Luis Chan: Luis chan 99, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 1998 | Luis Chan: Colour of Spring, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 1996 | Luis Chan (1905~1995): A Hong Kong Century, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong |
| Journey of an Artist: The Art of Luis Chan, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong | |
| 1995 | Luis Chan: A Creative Century, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 1993 | Luis Chan: Urban Geography – A Retrospective Exhibition in Honour of Luis Chan’s 88th Birthday, Hanart Taipei Gallery, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1992 | Watercolours and Oils by Luis Chan: Old Hong Kong in the 50s, Hanart Taipei Gallery, Taipei, Taiwan |
| 1990 | Luis Chan: The World of Luis Chan, Hanart New York Gallery, New York, USA |
| Luis Chan: Luis Chan and his Vision, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong | |
| 1988 | Luis Chan: Mixed Media Collages and Small Paintings, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong |
| Solo Exhibition in New York, Phyllis Kind Gallery, New York, USA | |
| 1987 | Dreams and Fantasies—The Art of Luis Chan, Chinese Culture Institute |
| The World of Luis Chan, National Museum of Singapore, Singapore | |
| 1986 | Luis Chan: A Feast of Colours, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 36th solo exhibition, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong | |
| 1985 | Luis Chan: Luis Chan at Eighty, 35th solo exhibition, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 1984 | Luis Chan: Fifty Years of Artistic Career, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong |
| 1983 | Luis Chan: The World of Luis Chan, 33rd Solo Exhibition, Hanart TZ Gallery, Hong Kong |
| 1981 | 32rd Solo Exhibition, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong |
Selected Joint Exhibition
| 2025 | Picasso/Asia: A Conversation, M+ Pavilion, West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong |
| 2021 | Ink: City, JC Contemporary, Tai Kwun Contemporary, Hong Kong |
| 2018 | Wan Chai Grammatica: Past, Present, Future Tense, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong |
| 2016 | Hanging Out: An Exhibition of Hong Kong Art of the 70s, Ping Pong Gintoneria, Hong Kong |
| 2013 | Hong Kong Eye: Contemporary Hong Kong Art, ArtisTree, Hong Kong; Saatchi Gallery, London, UK |
| 2010 | The 7th International Ink Art Biennial of Shenzhen, Guanshanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen; Shenzhen Fine Art Institute, Shenzhen, China |
