Stallion

Artist Li Ai-Vee (Li Aiwei, b. 1932) was born in Shanghai and attended the Kaiser-Wilhelm School. She graduated from the Shanghai American School in 1950. Since 1973 she has lived in Blonay, Switzerland and exhibited her work throughout Europe. Her art and life have been influenced by two important sources: her Zen-Buddhist practice and her study with great Chinese painting masters. She spent several years in Japan, most of the time studying with the Rinzai master Kansho Yamada Mumon (1900-1998), who served as abbot of Shofukuji Temple in Kobe and was an accomplished calligrapher. Over the course of many years, Li Ai-Vee studied paintings with Lin Fengmian, Zhang Daqian, and Lu Yifei (1908-1997). To assist her studies, her teachers often gave her examples of their own works for inspiration. In addition, Li Ai-Vee acquired their works, and paintings by other masters, for her own collection. She responded by absorbing their interests and styles but then forming an artistic style that is uniquely her own.