LIN Fengmian (Lin Fongmin) (1900-1991) Flowers and peaches Ink, gouache on xuan paper. Signed on the left with the artist's stamp. 66 x 68 cm Framed under glass. Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist in China in the 1950s and kept in the same family ever since. Lin Fengmian (1900-1991), a major figure in twentieth-century Chinese art, made history by combining European modernity with Chinese tradition. Born into a modest family, his good fortune brought him to France, where he trained at the École Nationale des Beaux-Arts after a spell at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Dijon. Back in China, he became a reformer of art education and founded the National Academy of Arts in Hangzhou. However, his career was disrupted by war and the Cultural Revolution, during which he was imprisoned and forced to destroy his works. Taking refuge in Hong Kong in 1977, he continued to create until his death in 1991, leaving a lasting legacy that has profoundly influenced modern Chinese art.