Born into a family of artists in 1944, Wei Tai learned painting from his father who was a famous sculptor in China.  During the Cultural Revolution his father was deprived of his ability to practice his profession and also suffered the destruction of his art.  He was imprisoned, later returned as an ill man and eventually died – a victim of oppression.  In 1966, Mr. Wei continued his education at the Shanghai Institute of Fine Arts.  After graduation he worked in watercolor learning the medium by seeking out some of the all time great painters and watercolorists, and studying them.  He feels especially indebted to the inspiration of Turner, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Cezanne and John Singer Sargent.  After studying the qualities of silk and its sensitivity to different colors, he used silk instead of paper to begin a new career and created a new style.

Many of Wei Tai’s subjects were taken from the excavations at the tomb of China’s first emperor.  Thousands of larger-than-life terra-cotta soldiers and horses were entombed with the Qin Emperor to stand guard over him for all eternity.  In Wei Tai’s words, “I wanted to combine Chinese ancient art and Western techniques to create my own style in my paintings and my fashions.” (He was also a recognized fashion designer).  He gained inspiration from the archaic lore.  In his paintings, he endeavored to capture the vibrant colors of the unearthed figures before they became dull from exposure to the atmosphere.

Wei Tai arrived in America in 1991. Since that time, he has successfully found his rightful place among the leading Chinese artists of his generation.