From Paris to Shanghai…
Cécile Girard is a French artist born in Paris, currently residing between France and China. Since 2009, she has been based in Shanghai, where she teaches fine arts and hones her ink technique under the guidance of both contemporary and traditional Chinese artists, bringing depth to her work. Through her teaching experiences in international schools in France and China (Beijing and Shanghai), Cécile has developed a unique pedagogical style.
Cécile studied painting and art history at the Martenot School, the Louvre School, and the Sorbonne in Paris. In the 1990s, she discovered traditional Chinese painting and studied calligraphy at the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts, while joining the art movement of Naxi artists from Yunnan in Beijing. Her painting style emphasizes the special treatment of materials, particularly Xuan paper, custom-made in Anhui Province, China.
Maintaining strong ties with China, she has continued her studies in traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy with artist Deanna Gao in Paris and Professor Li Ping at Shanghai Normal University. Her unique technique for handling Xuan paper combines Chinese ink, acrylic, and oil, creating vivid, deep colors with a richly layered effect.
In Cécile’s work, we can perceive a fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, expressed through her experimentation with calligraphy styles, pictograms, Chinese landscapes, Zhongcai, and stained-glass art learned in Italy.
As a painter and teacher, Cécile conducts art workshops in Shanghai for students of all ages, Chinese and international alike. She regularly exhibits in China and France, with her works held in the collections of the Beijing Art Museum and the Duolun Modern Art Museum in Shanghai. She also participated in the “experimental open class” at the French Pavilion for the Shanghai World Expo (2012-2015) and collaborated with Shanghai Normal University for lectures and publications.
Her notable exhibitions include solo shows at M50 and the Duolun Modern Art Museum in Shanghai, a joint exhibition In Conversation with Ross Lewis, and a group exhibition at ArtCN Gallery in Shanghai. She has also collaborated with artists from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts and the Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts. In 2005, she was selected for the France-China Cross Years, where she exhibited at the Beijing Art Museum. In 2014, she exhibited at the Shanghai Mint Museum on the 50th anniversary of French Chinese diplomatic relations, participating in joint exhibitions featuring French and Chinese artists.
Since 2019, Cécile has collaborated with the XiXi YiDE Art Museum in China, where her works are permanently exhibited. In 2022, she became an artist-in-residence at the Feng Shang Gallery in France, with exhibitions in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
In 2024, she collaborated with the Reims-based champagne brand La Princesse de Clèves to design a signed limited-edition label. Starting in the same year, she also began teaching color theory in the preparatory program at the MJM Graphic Design School in France, sharing her expertise as a painter with future designers.
Her latest exhibition, Oriental Landscapes, commemorates the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and China.
