By : Liu Derun

 from China (b. 1950) Oil painting; 52 x 36 in -© S.R. Brennen Galleries, from California, UShttp://www.srbrennengalleries.com/Dim light

The works of Liu Derun are among the most easily recognizable and well regarded art of our time. He is also among the most popular and successful living artists today. His unforgettable paintings show his gift for portraying the strength of the human spirit and character. Since 1976, Liu Derun's paintings have been awarded in national art exhibitions and exhibited worldwide. His representative works, in collaboration with his wife Li Yan, have been in important exhibitions throughout the world. The famous painting titled "Yimeng Child", won a bronze medal at the Seventh National Art Exhibition and a prize at the Sino Japanese Friendship Gallery, along with "Foremost Among Mountains", which also won a prize of excellence at the Eighth National Art Exhibition. Their paintings have been collected by the China Art Gallery, private collectors, and featured in Sotheby's art catalogue in Hong Kong. His paintings have brought over $350,000 US at auction. The history of oil painting taking root in China is but a mere one hundred years old. It was not until the forming of New China in 1949 that saw the burgeoning of art academies and institutions offering a systematic training for the Western Arts. An important milestone, marking the new era, was the first ever Chinese oil painting auction held by Christie's of Hong Kong in 1992 to great critical and financial success. Since then Christie's and Sotheby's biannual auctions of Chinese oil painting have become ever more popular. Private and corporate collections of these works abound as are international exhibitions.