HONG KONG.- M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) in Hong Kong, is presenting Zao Wou-Ki: Master Printmaker. The exhibition is Asia’s first major retrospective of the graphic works of Chinese French artist Zao Wou-Ki (1920–2013), one of the most influential abstract artists of the mid- and late twentieth-century. The exhibition traces Zao’s life-long printmaking practice, from 1949 to 2000. It shows how prints were a crucial dimension of his art, characterised by continuously experimenting with different techniques and styles. Prints also enabled Zao to collaborate with a global network of writers, artists, and other cultural figures, positioning him as an eminent cross-cultural figure. His work transcended boundaries, contributing to the post-war cultural landscapes of Europe, Asia, and the United States. Generously supported by Lead Sponsor BNP Paribas, and Major Sponsors AIA Hong Kong and Cathay, the exhibition is being held in the Main Hall Gallery from 13 December 2025 through 3 May 2026.

Co-curated by M+ and the Zao Wou-Ki Foundation, Zao Wou-Ki: Master Printmaker offers new perspectives on Zao’s prolific printmaking practice. Organised chronologically and thematically, the exhibition features nearly 180 works from the significant collection held at M+, including prints, illustrated books, works on paper, and archival materials, which were acquired through a major donation to M+ by Madame Françoise Marquet-Zao, the wife of the late artist and Chief Curator and President of the Zao Wou-Ki Foundation. The exhibition also includes a selection of works donated by Zao’s daughter Sin-May Roy Zao, alongside more than fifty paintings, prints, books, and works on paper loaned from museums and private collections around the world. Among the highlights are seminal pieces such as Lecture par Henri Michaux de huit lithographies de Zao Wou-Ki (A Reading of Eight Lithographs of Zao Wou-Ki by Henri Michaux) (1950), Piazza Siena (1951), and À la gloire de l’image et art poétique (To the Glory of the Image and the Art of Poetry) (1977).

Zao Wou-Ki: Master Printmaker explores printmaking as a medium that inspired and informed many of his experiments in abstract painting, positioning prints as an equally significant aspect of his artistic practice. This Special Exhibition offers the rare opportunity to experience the full arc of Zao’s graphic work, from his first experiments in Paris at the end of 1940s to the end of his career five decades later. The exhibition is organised into three main sections:

• Encountering Printmaking: This section introduces Zao Wou-Ki’s early forays into printmaking, beginning with his arrival in Paris in 1948 and immersion into the city’s art scene. Though already familiar with woodblock printing from his training in China, Zao learned new techniques such as lithography and etching from his peers in France. He described printmaking as ‘almost a game’, a more playful and less predictable process than oil painting. As his mastery of the medium grew, his prints began to attract the attention of art galleries and institutions.

• Towards Abstraction: As Zao continued to experiment with printmaking, he began visualising elemental forces and the imaginary landscapes of his inner world. This shift unlocked new poetic and philosophical potentials for his art, marked by a decisive move towards abstraction. By this point, Zao was a highly experienced printmaker, embracing new techniques such as drypoint, sugar lift, and aquatint. His compositions from the late 1950s are characterised by dynamic gestural lines and bold colours, filling the surface with expressive energy. Many of these techniques and styles echo the ink painting and calligraphy he studied in China in his youth.

• No Boundaries: The section presents Zao’s late graphic works, which embody a mature synthesis of Eastern and Western artistic traditions. From the late 1970s onwards, Zao approached both painting and printmaking with renewed versatility and freedom. He blended techniques from Chinese and European artistic traditions to express ideas of harmony, balance, and nature inspired by Taoist philosophy. Over time, Zao’s poetic compositions became more varied and his colour palettes grew brighter as he pushed the boundaries of printmaking.

Complementing these main chapters, three side stories offer deeper insight into Zao’s artistic process and personal network. What is printmaking? introduces the tools and techniques Zao used, providing audiences with a hands-on understanding of the medium. How does printmaking bring people together? celebrates Zao’s global network of collaborators, highlighting the lasting friendships and creative exchanges that enriched his work. How do poetry and prints enrich each other? invites visitors to explore how prints can connect text and images to create new artistic expressions.

Suhanya Raffel, Museum Director, M+, says, ‘We are thrilled to present Zao Wou‑Ki: Master Printmaker, the first major retrospective in Asia dedicated to the graphic art of this towering figure in twentieth‑century abstraction. By foregrounding prints, illustrated books, and archival materials, we hope to expand our understanding of Zao’s life and work. The exhibition affirms M+’s commitment to the cross-cultural dialogues that shape contemporary visual expression. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Madame Françoise Marquet-Zao with the support of the Zao Wou-Ki Foundation for her generous donations to M+, which have made this landmark exhibition possible.’

Zao Wou-Ki (1920–2013) was one of the greatest abstract artists of the twentieth century. Immersed in Chinese painting and calligraphy in his youth, Zao graduated from the National College of Art in Hangzhou (now the China Academy of Art), where he studied under Lin Fengmian, Wu Dayu, and other progressive painters. This group of artists had studied in Europe in the 1920s and brought back new styles and teaching methods. After graduation, Zao taught at his alma mater and participated in exhibitions in Shanghai and Chongqing alongside other avant-garde artists, including Lin, Wu, Ting Yin Yung, Guan Liang, and Li Zhongsheng.

In 1948, Zao moved to Paris, where he would live for most of his life. He developed a signature style of lyrical abstraction, a dynamic visual language that combines Chinese influences and oil painting with the layered techniques of printmaking. In the early 1970s, he started to revisit the traditional medium of ink, which later became an important parallel to his oil paintings. He spent a substantial amount of time in China for various exhibitions and projects, including two large-scale paintings commissioned by I. M. Pei for Fragrant Hill Hotel (1982) in Beijing. Zao also taught at the Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts (his alma mater, formerly the National College of Art, now the China Academy of Art), often accompanied by his wife, curator and art historian Françoise Marquet-Zao, whom he married in 1977.

Zao’s work is in the collections of many museums across Europe, North America, and Asia. He became a French citizen in 1964 thanks to his friend André Malraux, who was also serving as French Minister for Cultural Affairs. He was made an Officier de l’Ordre de la Légion d’honneur in 1984 and a Grand officier in 2006. In 1994, he received the Praemium Imperiale Award for Painting from the Japanese Emperor. He was elected to thebu Académie des Beaux-Arts in 2002. He died in Switzerland in 2013.