Through the eyes of a dandy

Sanyu's Hidden Blossoms: Through the Eyes of a Dandy, which runs until Sunday, plots his artistic development from his early beginnings at the Grande Chaumiere right through to his later works, which he created as he struggled with destitution and homesickness. He never returned to Chinese mainland and died alone in his studio following an accidental gas leak.

This is the seventh exhibition dedicated to Chang over the past 25 years held by Tina Keng, the gallery's founder. She says she was first introduced to Chang's work during her first visit to Paris about three decades ago.

"I was instantly taken by his hand and style," Keng says. "Out of all the references to the dichotomy between East and West and amalgamating the two styles, Sanyu is a true pioneer that interplayed Eastern and Western concepts in such a unique and clever way that it set him apart."

Explaining why she continues to focus on the Paris-based artist, Keng says that as time went by and more of Chang's works came onto the market, she had the chance to add these paintings to subsequent exhibitions, allowing her to share with other collectors a deeper understanding of Chang's character and the development of his oeuvre.

One of the earliest Chinese painters to become immersed in the real-life environment of Western art, Chang managed to blend the color schemes of oil painting and the modernist spirit growing in Europe with the brush strokes of traditional Chinese ink painting and the simple elegance of Chinese aesthetics.