BIOGRAPHY
1940 Born in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China
1952-7 Learned sketching, watercolour and oil painting at Nanjing 10th Secondary School
1957-62 Wished to study art at the Central Academy in Beijing but his family persuaded him to study French at the Beijing Institute of Foreign Languages
1962-70 Worked as a translator while continuing to paint and write novels in Beijing
1979 First publication of essays and short stories in literary reviews
1981 Published First Essay on the Techniques of the Modern Novel
1982 His play, Alarm Signal, was the start of experimental theatre in China
1983 Forbidden to publish and perform in China
1985 His play The Wild Man gave rise to a new debate. Invited by the DAAD (Germany) and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he spent eight months in Europe. His first exhibition at the Berliner Kunsterhaus Bethanien is a success
1986 The rehearsals of The Other Shore are suspended in Beijing before the play is even staged
1987 Invited by the Morat Institute for Kunst and Kunstwissenshaft and the French Ministry of Culture, he leaves China to settle in Paris. He goes back to writing The Soul Mountain, which he began writing in China in 1982
1989 After the Tiananmen Square Protests, Gao finishes The Soul Mountain and writes the play Escape that gives rise to a total ban on the entirety of his works in China; becomes grantee (theater) of Asian Cultural Council
1990 His novel The Soul Mountain is published in Taiwan
1991 The Soul Mountain is translated by the academician Goran Malmqvist, and published by Forum Publishing in Sweden
1992 The translation of The Soul Mountain by Goran Malmqvist is produced by the Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern of Stockholm for the stage
Awarded the title Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government
1994 Awarded the French Community of Belgium Prize for his play
1994-2000 His plays are translated, published and performed internationally
1997 Granted French citizenship
1998 His novel One Man’s Bible is published in Taipei
2000 Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French Government
2001 Bestowed honorary doctorate degrees by the Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of Aix-Marseille, Provence, France
2002 Awarded Le Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur, France
Awarded the Golden Plate Award by the American Academy of Achievement
Member on the editorial board of La Comédie Française
2003 Member of the Académie Universelle des Cultures
“Year of Gao” in Marseille, France, featuring his painting, theatre, opera and cinema
2005 Bestowed an honorary doctorate degree by the University of Taiwan
2006 Awarded Library Lions by the New York Public Library
2008 Awarded La Milanesiana Citation, Milan, Italy
Gao Xingjian Festival, featuring solo exhibition, film, drama, opera, talk and symposium, Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau and Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
2012 Professor, Taiwam Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
Awarded La Médaille d'or de la Rennaissance française
2016 Gave speech, Altus Conference, Oxford University, UK
2017 Gao Xingjian Arts Festival, Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
2018 Established Reasearch and Documentary Centre for Gao Xingjian, Fenouillères Library, Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France
2019 Awarded Premio Roma "International Literary Award", Rome, Italy
2023 Recipient of the Commander of the Legion of Honour (Le Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur) from French president Emmanuel Macron on 27th Jan 2023 in Élysée Palace
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2023
2020
Galerie Simoncini, Luxembourg
Galerie Claude Bernard, Paris, France
2019
Gao Xingjian: Appel pir une nouvelle Renaissance, Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, France
2017-2018
Gao Xingjian The Awakening of Consciousness, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Brussels, Belgium
2016
2015
2013
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1998
1997
1996
1995
1993
1989
1988
1987
1985
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2024
2023
2021
2019
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2000
1998
1991
1990
1989
SELECTED AWARDS
1985 DAAD Fellowship, Germany
1989 Asian Cultural Council Fellowship (Theatre), USA
1992 Awarded the title Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government
1994 Awarded the French Community of Belgium Prize for his play
2000 Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur by the French Government
2001 Bestowed honorary doctorate degrees by Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan; Chinese University of Hong Kong; University of Aix-Marseille, Provence, France
2002 Awarded Le Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur, France
Awarded the Golden Plate Award by the American Academy of Achievement, USA
2005 Bestowed an honorary doctorate degree by University of Taiwan
2006 Awarded Library Lions by the New York Public Library, USA
2008 Awarded La Milanesiana Citation, Milan, Italy
2012 Awarded La Médaille d'or de la Rennaissance Française
2019 Awarded Premio Roma "International Literary Award", Rome, Italy
2023 Recipient of the Commander of the Legion of Honour (Le Commandeur de la Légion d'Honneur) from French president Emmanuel Macron on 27th Jan 2023 in Élysée Palace, Paris, France
SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, USA
Musée Guimet, Paris, France
Théâtre Molière, Paris, France
Artothèque de Nantes, France
Maison de la Culture de Bourges, Bourges, France
La Ville de Marseille, France
Bibliothèque de l’Université de Marseille-Provence, Marseille, France
Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
Museo Wurth La Rioja, Spain
Musée des Arts Modernes, Stockholm, Sweden
Ostasiatiska Museet, Stockholm, Sweden
Krapperups Konsthall, Malmö, Sweden
Nobel Foundation, Sweden
Leibniz Gesellschaft für Kulturellen Austausch, Berlin, Germany
Morat Institut für Kunst und Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg, Germany
Singapore Art Museum, Singapore
Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
University Museum and Art Gallery, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
NOVELS
2004 Buying a Fishing Rod for My Grandfather (Harpercollins Publishers, New York, USA)
2002 One Man’s Bible (Harpercollins Publishers, New York, USA)
2000 Soul Mountain (Harpercollins Publishers, New York, USA)
DRAMAS
2007 Song of the Night (City of the Dead and Song of the Night, Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
2003 The Man Who Questions Death (Escape & the Man Who Questions Death, Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
1997 Snow in August (Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
1995 Weekend Quartet (The Other Shore, Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
1993 Nocturnal Wanderer (The Other Shore, Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
1992 Dialogue and Rebuttal (The Other Shore, Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
1991 Between Life and Death (The Other Shore, Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
1989 Of Mountains and Seas (Chinese University Press, Hong Kong), Escape (Escape & the Man Who Questions Death, Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
1987 City of the Dead (City of the Dead and Song of the Night, Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
1986 The Other Shore (Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
1985 Wild Man (Asia Theatre Journal Volume 7 No.2, University of Hawaii Press, USA)
1982 Absolute Signal (National Institute for Compilation and Translation, Taiwan)
BOOKS
2008 Aesthetics and Creation (Cambria Press, New York, USA)
1996 Cold Literature (Chinese University Press, Hong Kong)
The Case for Literature (Yale University Press, USA)
MOVIES
2013 Requiem for Beauty
2008 After the Flood
2006 Silhouette/Shadow
CATALOGUES
2016 Gao Xingjian, Layers of Light, Ink in Mind (Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong)
2015 Gao Xingjian, Le Goût de l’Encre (Editions Hazan, Paris, France)
Gao Xingjian, Liamada a un Renacimiento (Kubo Kutxa Fundacion, Spain)
2013 Gao Xingjian, Peintre de l’Âme (Editions du Seuil, Paris, France)
Gao Xingjian, Painter of the Soule (Asia Ink, London, UK)
The Inner Landscape, The Painting of Gao Xingjian (New Academia Publishing, Washington, USA)
2010 Gao Xingjian, Al Fons del Mon (Casal Solleric Fondacion Espal d’Art, Spain)
2009 Gao Xingjian, Depois do Dilùvio (Wurth Portugal et Sintra Museu de Arte Moderna, Lisbon, Portugal)
2008 Gao Xingjian, Despuès del Diluvio (Museo Wurth La Rioja, Spain)
New Works by Gao Xingjian 2007-2008 (Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong)
2007 Gao Xingjian, La Fin du Monde (Ludwig Museum, Koblenz, Germany)
Gao Xingjian, Between Figurative and Abstract (Snite Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA)
Silhouette/Shadow, The Cinematic Art of Gao Xingjian (Editions Contours, Paris, France)
2005 Gao Xingjian, Experience (Singapore Art Museum, Singapore)
2004 Gao Xingjian, Contemplating an Inner Vision (Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong)
2003 Gao Xingjian, Ni Mots Ni Signes (Musée des Tapisserie, Aix-en-Provence, France)
2002 Return to Painting (Harpercollins Publishers, New York, USA)
Gao Xingjian (Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain)
2001 Darkness & Light (National Museum of History, Taipei, Taiwan)
The Solitary World of Gao Xingjian (Alisan Fine Arts, Hong Kong)
2000 Gao Xingjian Tuschmalerei 1983-1993 (Morat Institut for Kunst and Kunstwissenschaft, Freiburg, Germany)
1995 Ink Paintings by Gao Xingjian (Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taipei, Taiwan)
1993 Gao Xingjian (Maison de la Culture de Bourges, Bourges, France)
1986 Gao Xingjian Tusche Rausch (Leibniz Gesellschaft, Berlin, Germany)
