吴冠中（1919—2010），1919年出生于江苏省宜兴县。1942年毕业于国立艺术专科学校，1946年考取教育部公费留学，1947年到巴黎国立高级美术学校，随苏沸尔学校学习西洋美术史。吴冠中1950年秋返国。先后任教于中央美术学院、清华大学建筑系、北京艺术学院、中央工艺美术学院。曾任清华大学美术学院教授、中国美术家协会顾问，全国政协委员等职。
2010年6月25日23时57分，吴冠中先生因病医治无效，在北京医院逝世，享年91岁。曾出版过《吴冠中素描、色彩画选》、《吴冠中中国画选一辑》、《东寻西找集》、《吴冠中散文选》等。
Wu Guangzhong (Born 1919) Born in 1919, Wu Guangzhong also named Tu, is a native of Yixing in Jiangsu province. He was originally an engineering student, yet upon his visit to Hangzhou National Art College headed by Lin Fengmian, he was immediately fascinated by the brilliance of art and devoted his life to it. Wu graduated from the Hangzhou National Art College in 1942 and became one of the best student of Lin. He went to France in 1947 and entered the ole Nationale Sup?ieure des Beaux Arts in Paris. After his return to China in 1950, he took a series of teaching post in various academies including the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, Qinghua University and Beijing Arts School. Wu has numerous publications including Kite with Unbroken String, On Coping Styles and Searching East and West. Wu is an energetic and creative artist who excels equally in oil and ink painting. For decades he has been exploring ways of reconciling the two traditions, and in his work shows a mutual influence of Chinese and Western styles. His early works which depicted Jiangnan river houses as a major theme were highly poetic. Special emphasis was given to the mix and match of points, lines and surfaces in his composition. His outdoor landscapes are wonderfully conceived, involving selection of different vantage points as the artist seeks the subtle movements and serene presence of nature through painted forms.