Biography
Xia Funing was born in Nanjing, China in 1962. In 1981, he studied in the Fine Arts Department of the School of Art at Soochow University. In 1985, he began teaching in the Fine Arts Department of the School of Art at Tiangong University. In 2020, he was appointed as a postgraduate supervisor at the Academy of Fine Arts of Nanjing Normal University. He currently lives in Beijing and works as a professional artist.
Xia Funing’s paintings fuse the brutal realism of Western Expressionism with the expressive brushwork of Eastern Xieyi (freehand) painting, creating a sensibility that embodies the traditional literati spirit of the East while subtly carrying a hint of tension—even an uncanny atmosphere. In his recent works, many concrete objects have gradually been stripped away, leaving only a “trace” suffused with the patina of time. This “trace” is precisely the projection of the artist’s holistic consciousness and energy. Layers of ethereal, delicate, and distant brushstrokes build upon one another, generating an exceptionally profound and expansive pictorial depth.
His works have been collected by the Saudi Royal Family, the National Art Museum of China, Nanjing Pioneer Contemporary Art Center, Cui Zhenkuan Art Museum, 5 Art Center, Yushan Contemporary Art Museum, as well as other domestic and international art institutions and private collectors.
