ZHONG CHENG

Born in Tokyo, Japan. His work brings the abstraction of the Japanese sensibility. Graduated from the Academy of Arts in 1948. In 1952, he was rewarded the prize for the best new artist at the 15th Shinseisaku Salon. Then Imai moved to Paris, he attended the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and the Sorbonne. Imai switched from representational to abstract art in 1955 under the influence by the critic, Michel Tapié. He participated in São Paulo Biennale of 1953 and the Venice Biennale of 1960. In 1962, Imai was awarded a prize at the 5th Exhibition of Japanese Contemporary Art in Tokyo. After 1970, he began to integrate words and Japanese elements into his pictures. In his last work, Imai turned to war as his theme. Toshimitsu Imai passed away after a long illness in 2002.