Lot Essay
Guyi was born as Li Guoyi in Shanghai in 1948. She studied at the Hangzhou National Academy of Fine Arts and then worked as an illustrator and art editor. Her illustrations for children's books won international awards. After she devoted herself entirely to painting in the early 1990s, she began to exhibit her works throughout Europe and Asia. In addition to other awards and recognitions, she served as Vice-President of the Hangzhou Institute of Fine Arts and Director of the Zhejiang Assoication of Fine Artists. Guyi's mature style is noteworthy for blending the two traditional techniques of gongbi, which are highly detailed and meticulously rendered, and xieyi, the expressionistic "writing ideas" style. She is also married to Pan Gongkai, the president of the Central Academy in Beijing.