A painting prodigy, Zhiwei Tu exhibited an extraordinary
artistic talent from a very early age. Unfortunately,
his talents were looked upon by the Chinese villagers
as only an amusing pastime. It was not until the equivalent
of high school age that Zhiwei happened by one afternoon
and saw at work an experienced artist whom the government
in Beijing had hired to create a huge picture of Chairman
Mao Tse-tung. Fascinated, Zhiwei watched for hours on
end.
The next day, returning to where the artist was still
at work, he boldly set up a work space next to the
artist and began painting his own portrait of Mao.
When both the artist and the boy were done, the village
elders were shocked to discover that Zhiwei's portrait
of Mao was far superior. They even selected it for
public display instead of the artist's own painting.
After news of Zhiwei’s talent spread, he was
offered a full scholarship to the Wengyuan Cultural
Center. He later earned a Master’s degree from
the prestigious Guangzhou Institute of Fine Arts and
received a Master of Fine Art at Drake University in
Des Moines, Iowa.
Zhiwei’s paintings are included in the permanent
collections of many notable Chinese museums.
Zhiwei is a Master Signature Member and President
of the Oil Painters of America and is a member of the
California Art Club.
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