SANYU
His Life and Complete Works in Oil
Volumes One & Two

Author: Rita Wong
Graphic design: Glenn Suokko
Publisher: Hatje Cantz, Berlin
Printed in: Italy
Languages: English, Chinese, and French editions

Volume One: 2024 · Hatje Cantz · Hardcover · 33 × 27 cm · 248 pages · 300 illustrations
Volume Two: 2024 · Hatje Cantz · Hardcover · 33 × 27 cm · 600 pages · 321 paintings illustrated

This two-volume set documents the life and complete oil paintings of Sanyu (Chang Yu, 1895–1966), a modern artist whose work bridged Chinese artistic sensibility and Western modernism. Living primarily in Paris, Sanyu developed a language of line and form marked by restraint, balance, and a lyrical simplicity that continues to resonate across cultures.

Volume One traces Sanyu’s life and artistic development, situating his work within the tensions and crossings that shaped it—geography, tradition, modernity, and personal circumstance. Volume Two presents the complete catalogue raisonné of Sanyu’s known oil paintings, with detailed entries that record each work’s essential documentation and history. Together, the publications offer a long-term scholarly record designed to support study, stewardship, and cultural continuity.

I designed this set for the Li Ching Foundation in close collaboration with author Rita Wong and publisher Hatje Cantz. The design is intentionally restrained—built to support clarity, pacing, and sustained viewing across a large body of work.