HE Baili (b.1945) is one of the foremost Hong Kong Chinese ink artists working in the medium of ink and brush. He was born in Guangzhou and raised in Hong Kong. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in the field and is known for his constant innovative practice while paying full respect to tradition. He has been aspired to revolutionize the art of Lingnan School and has since become a lead figure in Lingnan paintings.
For HE, “change” lies at the heart of his artistic practice. Throughout a prolific career spanning five decades, he has continued to experiment with diverse styles and subject-matters. His first solo exhibition with the theme of New Territories in Hong Kong with idyllic sketches of fishing boats off shores of Hong Kong Island, was a breakthrough and critically acclaimed. From 1970s to 1980s, his style changed to landscape art with freehand brushwork and focused on the momentum and the boldness of the brushstrokes. In 1984, he moved to North America, and visited museums in the West. This contributed to his majestic portrayal of ridges and mountains of North America and the stunning Canada Maples series. In recent years, HE has travelled extensively in China, painting magnificent scenes of sunrise with a new vitality of prowess, adding a splendid of richness and elevations to his painting.
His “He Style of Landscape Painting” harmonizes the spirit of East & West and the essence of modern & contemporary art. With broad and lyrical brushstrokes, the artist has been allured to painting landscapes featuring rays of morning light in recent years. The inspiration came from a trip he made to the Taihang Mountains in northern China, where the breath-taking heights of mountains sharply contrast with the idyllic landscape of the south. He’s rendering of precipitous rocks, looming clouds and distant mountains present a feast for the eyes; for the artist, sunrise symbolises renewal and hope.
“HE's landscape” is a new approach to traditional Chinese art, and his works embody the essence of Chinese ink painting, and are well recognized by collectors. HE Baili is with Christie’s ever since his first Chinese ink painting auctioned at Christie’s New York in 1987. He’s popularity in the international art market has been growing steadily in the past 32 years. In 2002, the French art critics website ART MARKET INSIGHT published the top 1000 artists in the world with record-breaking auction bids that year, HE is the only living Chinese artist in the ranking.
Publications include Works of Art by He Baili, Miniatures and Fan Paintings by HE Baili, Baili’s Vision, HE Baili’s Idyllic Hong Kong in Ink and Meandering Through Art in Leisure. HE currently serves as a founding member of the HK Association of Artists.
何百里生於1945年，為著名中國水墨畫家，出生於廣州， 並於香港成長，馳名於國際。何⽒為嶺南派第四代傳人，早歲萌志發展嶺南派山水新方向，從事畫藝六十載。
對於何百里來説，藝術的永恆魅力，是一個「變」字。五十多年來，何氏畫風及題材隨著生活環境的變遷而變化。弱冠， 以香港新界風光寫生為主題舉行首屆個展，率性描繪香江漁舟和田野， ⽿目一新，備受矚目。1970至1980年間，風格由濃厚寫生氣息轉變為水墨大寫意山水，取勢曠闊，用筆豪邁，風格突出。1984年移居北美州，飽覽歐西各大美術博物館，創作了氣象萬千的連綿山嶺和錦繡奪目的加國楓彩系列。
何⽒博取西方繪畫之長和參匯宋元山水理法，創立了彩墨交融，古情新意的「何家山水」。何⽒近年來受到他在中國北方太行山的一次旅行的啓發，以寬廣而抒情的筆觸，描繪了晨光透過薄霧投射在山上的壯麗景象。那裡令人窒息的高山與南方的田園風光形成鮮明對比。他對懸崖峭壁、若隱若現的雲層和遠山的渲染呈現出一場視覺盛宴；對何⽒來說，日出象徵著新生和希望，把嶺南畫派中對光及透視之運用提昇極至。
「何家山水」新法新貌，作品蘊含着中國水墨畫之氣韻和境界高尚之本色，備受藏家認同。於1987年，何⽒的⼭水創作首次出現於紐約佳士得拍賣目錄，至今在國際藝術市場已有三十多年歷史。 2002年法國藝術市場透視網站Art Market Insight，發表全球1000位當年破紀錄的藝術家，何氏是唯一在世的中國畫家，排名第639。
何氏享譽國際數十載，各方獎譽及購藏無數。曾出版《何百⾥畫集》《何百里扇面小品集》《百里境界》《百里自在》及《百里江》《美之印象》《意韻剛柔》等多本作品集。