Liu Nan was born in 1958 in Beijing. He is LiuJiyou’s son and LiuKuiling’s grandson.

He was four years old when he started to study painting. He graduated from the Belgian Royal Academy of Fine Arts and the Belgian Institute Saint-Luc, an excellent arts school. He is the member of a council of the Belgium branch of the International Artists Association. He is a member of the European Union Artists Association. He is a member of the French Artists Society. He is also a member of the Royal Artists Association in Belgium.

In 1963, he was awarded the gold medal in the London International Contest of children’s paintings. In 1990, he received a special award in the Belgian Royal Fine Arts Society. He also was awarded the bronze medal in an International Painting Contest in Austria. In 1991, he received the silver medal in Lutece International Painting Contest. In 1994, he won the silver medal in the fourth Brussels International Painting Contest. In 1996, LiuNan won the gold medal in the Nice International Plastic Arts Exhibit. In 2003, he was awarded the bronze medal in the French Artists Exhibit in Paris.

In 1978, he starred in the Beijing produced film called: “Three generations of painters.” In 1979, his paintings were selected by the Chinese “Exhibit of Works of Young Artists”. They were shown in Tokyo, Osaka, New York and Los Angeles. In 1981, his work was exhibited in the Nanjing museum: “Elder Sisters and Younger Brother – Three Painters.” In 1985, he participated in the “Chinese Artists in Europe” exhibit. In 1989, he was invited to the Charleroi Modern Art Museum in Belgium as part of the “Young & Talented Artists Exhibit.” In 1991, he also was invited to the 26th International Modern Artists exhibit in Monaco. In 1992, Belgium national TV interviewed him as “LiuNan, Chinese painter.” In 1994, his paintings were purchased by Queen Fabiola’s Fund at Sotheby’s. In 2006, his work was exhibited in the Louvre Museum in Paris – in the “Carrousel Modern Art Exhibit.” Other exhibits – In 2008, in New York: “European Contemporary Artists Exhibit” and in 2009, in the Royal Art Museum in Brussels – “The Barlow Art Festival.” From 1990 to 2010, his paintings were exhibited in Paris, at the French Artists Exhibit in the Grand Palais. Ever since 1982, LiuNan’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries in Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Japan, France, The United States and Spain.

In 1982, after mastering traditional painting and his family’s painting techniques, LiuNan went to Europe to explore another art world which had greatly influenced his grandfather’s and father’s painting techniques.
He worked hard while looking for the true meaning of art. After long years of research, he discovered his own artistic style and creativity. He deeply mastered the comprehension of light, colors and shapes which his father and grandfather were searching for in western modern techniques, especially from the Impressionism. He understood how to subtly blend light and color, concepts and forms, virtuality and reality in his drawings, thus reaching a very special position in the international painting field.

Liu Nan est issu d’une famille d’artistes qui collectionna les honneurs sur trois générations, Liu Nan réussit l’amalgame entre une tradition millénaire, l’assimilation de l’art occidental et une technique résolument moderne.

Né à Pékin en 1958, Liu Nan appartient à une lignée de peintres chinois illustres. Son grand-père, Liu Kuiling (1885-1967), vit dans une sorte de communion avec la nature qui nourrit largement son inspiration de peintre animalier. Animaux et insectes de toutes sortes évoluent dans des décors d’une rare beauté dont la minutie fait figure de prouesse technique. Liu Jiyou (1918-1983), son père, suit la même voie tout en pratiquant également le portrait. Ses compositions aux couleurs subtiles et foisonnantes de détails lui valent une reconnaissance nationale. Quand à ses dessins humoristiques, ils possèdent cette verse propre aux grands maîtres du genre.

Nanti de ce prestigieux héritage, Liu Nan pratique le dessin et la peinture depuis sa plus tendre enfance. Installé en Belgique depuis quelques années, il s’y est frotté à l’art de nos régions tout en conservant un précieux bagage de tradition et d’inspiration orientales. De cette fusion de cultures est née une peinture qui mêle, au sein d’une même composition, des éléments résolument figuratifs et des fonds abstraits. Il en émane une atmosphère hors du temps, entre image et symbole. Les sujets sont clairement empruntés au passé de son pays natal : cavaliers, chars impériaux, animaux fabuleux se découpent comme autant de silhouettes sur un paysage imaginaire et immatériel qui fait la part belle aux terres et aux ors.
À L’instar de ses ancêtres, il a fait de l’animal le maître absolu de cet univers onirique, renonçant à la profusion naturaliste pour explorer une voie plus intérieure. Certaines de ses toiles ne sont pas sans évoquer l’art pariétal qui chantait la force et l’élégance de la bête ou encore le mérite du chasseur. On y retrouve cette dimension symbolique qui fait en sorte que chaque élément dépasse largement le cadre de la simple représentation et se retrouve investi d’une force magique. Liu Nan aime mettre le sujet en exergue, à moins qu’il ne le décompose en plusieurs épisodes aux allures de fresque ou de frise décorative.