Walasse Ting: The Flower Thief

Born in Shanghai, and working successively in Paris, New York and Amsterdam, Walasse Ting (1928–2010) forged a unique path in postwar abstract and figurative painting. His early creations were close to those of the CoBrA group (with whom he was friendly), but he eventually developed a style inspired by the language of Chinese painting and the spontaneity of American action painting. Ting connected with many avant-garde movements across the globe, forging ties with Sam Francis, Robert Rauschenberg and Andy Warhol, and his work has become the object of much enthusiasm in recent years. This volume is published on the occasion of an exhibition at the Musée Cernuschi in Paris, which presents more than 80 paintings that Ting donated to the museum. These range from monumental compositions portraying women with botanical bodies to pages from a confession book. This accompanying catalog constitutes the most substantial survey of Ting's explosively energetic art yet published.