Legacy in Motion: Fondation Chu Teh-Chun Celebrates Art Across Generations and Horizons

In a world increasingly shaped by fleeting trends and digital flux, the Fondation Chu Teh-Chun continues to root its mission in something enduring—art as a bridge between cultures, generations, and perception itself. This spring and summer, the Geneva-based foundation reveals the depth of that vision through two remarkable exhibitions that connect the poetic abstraction of Chu Teh-Chun with the broader currents of contemporary art and education.

Courtesy of Fondation Chu Teh Chun

At the center of this year’s program is a collaborative exhibition with the International School of Geneva (Ecolint), held from May 15 to June 27, 2025, at the school's Centre des Arts. The exhibition focuses on a rarely spotlighted facet of Chu Teh-Chun’s oeuvre: his expressive works on paper. These ink and brush compositions, infused with gestural elegance and philosophical introspection, reflect the artist’s deep connection to both Chinese calligraphy and lyrical abstraction. In contrast to his grand canvases, these smaller-scale pieces offer a meditative encounter with line, emptiness, and movement—core elements of his artistic language.

The collaboration is not merely an exhibition, but a layered dialogue between past and present. Since its founding in 2017 by the artist’s family, the Fondation Chu Teh-Chun has prioritized educational outreach and intercultural engagement. This partnership with Ecolint—the world’s oldest international school—is a natural extension of that ethos. Together, the institutions underscore how artistic heritage can become a living tool for inquiry, empathy, and self-discovery.

Running alongside the retrospective is the Chu Teh-Chun Prize, now in its fourth year. Open to 11th-grade students at Ecolint, the prize encourages young artists to approach their practice with rigor and personal reflection. This year’s student exhibition opens on May 22, with the award ceremony set for June 17. A panel of educators, foundation members, and guest artist Dr. Momar Seck will evaluate the submissions. The winner receives an international artistic residency, reinforcing the foundation’s commitment to nurturing future creative voices.

Gerhard Richter, Abstract painting, 2009, Oil on canvas, 180 x 180 cm, Carmignac Collection

© Gerhard Richter, 2025

Frank Bowling, Hello Rosa New York, 1973, Acrylic on canvas, 286 x 693.5 cm, Carmignac Collection

Courtesy of the artist and Hauser and Wirth

© Frank Bowling / All Rights Reserved, DACS 2025 / ADAGP, Paris, 2025

Photo: Damian Griffiths

Meanwhile, the Fondation’s international resonance will take center stage at Villa Carmignac on Porquerolles Island, where it will participate in the much-anticipated group exhibition VERTIGO, running from April 26 to November 2, 2025. Curated by Matthieu Poirier, the show explores the blurred lines between sensory experience and abstraction, presenting post-1950 works that respond to elemental forces—water, sky, earth, light. Chu Teh-Chun’s work will appear alongside that of Olafur Eliasson, Helen Frankenthaler, Gerhard Richter, and Yves Klein, in a display that situates his poetic approach within a broader constellation of visionary artists.

The inclusion of Chu’s work in VERTIGO is particularly resonant. His art has always evoked a vertiginous dialogue with nature—not through direct representation, but through rhythm, light, and the play of the invisible. In the island setting of Villa Carmignac, where architecture and environment flow into one another, his work finds a fitting echo.

As a cultural actor, the Fondation Chu Teh-Chun continues to evolve. It is not a static guardian of legacy, but a dynamic platform that embraces publication, education, and international collaboration. Its catalogue raisonné grows alongside its partnerships; its archive lives not in isolation, but in dialogue with audiences around the world.

Carlos Cruz-Diez, Physichromie, 2013, Chromography on aluminum, plastic inserts, 100 x 150 cm, Private collection of the Cruz-Diez family

© Carlos Cruz-Diez. Photo: Atelier Cruz-Diez Paris / Bridgeman Images 2025

In Geneva, students learn to see with fresh eyes. In Porquerolles, visitors rediscover the awe of elemental forms. And at the center of it all is the Fondation, reminding us that art—at its best—is not only something we look at, but something that moves us forward.

For more information, visit chu-teh-chun.org and fondationcarmignac.com.