Artist Introduction

Born in Panama in 1905, Luis Chan (1905-1995) moved to Hong Kong in 1910. In 1927, he learned western painting techniques through a correspondence course from the Press Art School in London. He became a member of the Hong Kong Art Club in 1934, and held his first solo exhibition in Gloucester House the next year. In 1953, Chan set up his own studio and began offering classes. In 1960, he founded the Chinese Contemporary Artists’ Guild.

Chan’s earlier works were mostly realist watercolour landscapes and earned him a reputation as the “King of Watercolour”. He started to explore different western painting techniques in the 1950s and his style took a turn towards abstract configurations and a rich palette that conveyed a sense of childhood fantasy. Inspired by monotype prints, his paintings are imaginative and dreamlike, creating a bizarre and fantastic world.