A key figure of the third generation of the Lingnan School of painting, Au Ho-nien showed great artistic promise from a young age. Born in 1935 in the village of Bopu in Maoming County (present-day Wuchuan City) in the southwest of Guangdong Province, he was raised under the guidance of his father with a great love and respect for Chinese literature and history. In 1950, Au moved with his parents to Hong Kong, where two years later he began to study painting under Chao Shao-an. In 1970, he was invited by Dr Chang Chi-yun, the founder of the Chinese Culture University, to go to Taiwan and take up a position as a professor in the Fine Arts Department there. Settling in Taipei, he started his career as an arts educator and a local advocate of the Lingnan School.

His oeuvre covers landscapes, figures, birds and flowers, insects, fish and animals, and he is also well versed in poetry and calligraphy, where he demonstrates the strong foundations of his studies of Chinese literature. Focusing on his paintings and calligraphy works since the 1950s, this exhibition follows his career in art and highlights his accomplishments with exhibits that have been generously provided by Professor Au himself.