Pang Tao

Pang Tao (1934–2025) was born in Shanghai and was a renowned oil painter, art educator, and Professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). Pang Tao is the daughter of Pang Xunqin and Qiu Ti, two important members of the early Chinese avant-garde art group the Storm Society (Jue Lan She)‌. Pang Xunqin is also one of the founders of the Central Academy of Arts & Design.
In 1949, Pang enrolled at the Hangzhou National Arts Academy. She transferred to the CAFA in 1951, where she studied under such masters as Xu Beihong, Wu Zuoren, Dong Xiwen, and Qi Baishi. In 1984, Pang Tao was among the first group of artists who were sent to Europe to study art. She spent a year at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, conducting in-depth research into both the traditions and modern developments of European painting. Upon returning to China, she authored Research on Painting Materials, a pioneering publication that filled a significant gap in Chinese scholarship on painting materials and techniques. The book received the Third Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from the Ministry of Culture and the First Prize for Cultural and Technological Progress from the Beijing Government. She also played an active role in establishing and teaching at the Fourth Studio of the Oil Painting Department at CAFA.
Pang Tao’s artistic practice underwent a decisive transformation in the early 1980s, shifting from realism toward a more abstract visual language. Her Travels in Lijiang and Travels in Guilin series marked the beginning of this evolution, while her later Revelation of Bronze series integrated traditional Chinese patterns with techniques including colouration, generalization, and the flattening of shapes. Throughout her later years, she maintained remarkable creative vitality, employing abstraction to engage with contemporary society and profound questions of human existence.
Pang Tao’s works have been exhibited at major institutions including the Musée Cernuschi in Paris, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. She passed away in Beijing on 17 June 2025 at the age of 90.