在20世纪后半叶至当代的中国美术发展历史上，吴冠中先生是一位作出杰出贡献的艺术家和美术教育家。他视艺术为生命，几十年来，无论身处何境，都对艺术抱以至高的理想和真挚的热爱，以一个真正的艺术家的无畏胆略和率真性情，在丹青事业上做不懈的追求与探索。他的创造，为中华民族的文化积累和艺林景象增添了宝贵的财富。
　　吴冠中先生身上最可贵的品质是秉承了中国知识分子的优秀风范，把艺术创造作为一种文化责任，自觉担当起超越传统、开拓创新的使命。在复杂和变迁的文化环境中，特别在亲历中西文化相互碰撞激荡的人生旅程中，他始终以中国文化为根本，吸收融化西方艺术，形成了中西绘画意蕴贯通融合的独特成果和崭新经验，彰显了独立的学术思路和中国艺术精神的时代新质。
　　从文化眼光到创作眼光，吴冠中先生的艺术体现了他对自然与生命的关切。他的绘画始终以祖国的山川风采和家园景色为主题，在自然面前感受万物的生机，体验生命的哲理，抒发胸中的块垒，表达发现的欣喜；他在艺术形式上的敏感和坚执形式创造的信念使得他大胆打通油画和水墨画的载体界限，在具像与抽象两种绘画形态之外，创造出意象的艺术境界，使“写意”的中国传统艺术语言以现代的方式展现出来，获得无限的可能性。他基于丰厚的学养和深度的思考，革故鼎新，秉事论理，阐发了大量富有个性的理论见解，在当代中国美术界产生了很大的学术反响。
　　吴冠中先生一向以艺术为公器，把社会视为自己艺术财富的归宿。在以往多次向社会捐赠作品的基础上，他于九十寿诞之际，再一次大批量向海内外公立美术馆捐赠他的精品佳作，奉献精神高风亮节，令人敬重！继在上海展览之后，中国美术馆、上海美术馆和新加坡美术馆联合隆重在北京举办他的捐赠作品展，结合相关历史文献、图片和影像，以期全面呈现他的艺术创造历程和丰硕的艺术成果。他高尚的奉献精神和他精湛的艺术将永远并茂相映，光华灿烂。
　　范迪安
　　中国美术馆馆长
　　2009年春
　　Mr. Wu Guanzhong is regarded as an outstanding artist and art educator who made significant contributions to the development of Chinese art from the period starting from the second half of the 20th century to the present. He views art as his life, and for the past several decades he displayed a profound love and understanding for arts that was held to the highest ideals. With his unremitting pursuit of exploration, Wu built an artistic career that exemplified fearless courage and a genuine temperament. His resulting works have added significantly to the artistic wealth and heritage of China. 
　　One of Wu’s greatest qualities, and a fine example of a Chinese intellectual, is the way he regards artistic creation as a cultural responsibility. From this mindset, he sought to advance tradition through pioneering innovation. Wu’s personal life journey led him through the complex and ever changing cultural environment of China, wherein Chinese and Western cultures collide. During this journey, Wu remained true to the foundations of Chinese culture as he simultaneously absorbed elements of Western art. His pioneering artistic style and expression integrated both Chinese and Western sentiments, and this allowed him to evoke an independent cultural ideal which uniquely represented the spirit of Chinese art entering into the new era.
　　From his cultural perspective to his creative vision, Wu’s art reflects his fondness for nature and life. His paintings often adopts themes of beautiful scenery from his motherland and rural country home, with artistic flourishes inspired by the vitality of nature, his own life philosophy, and Wu’s inherent joy in discovery. His sensitivity to artistic forms and his desire to innovate led him to boldly break down the medium based barriers that long separated oil painting and ink painting. Wu’s creations created a new realm of art outside the dichotomy of realism and abstraction, and allowed for new ways of expressions of seemingly unlimited possibilities that went beyond the traditional Chinese art vernacular. With his abundant energy and profound insights, Wu revolutionized old conceptions and freed art form to allow an abundance of new theories rich with individuality. His innovations leave a far-reaching impact on the academic circle of the contemporary Chinese art scene that continues till this day.
　　Wu has always viewed art as a tool for the public. He also viewed society as the ultimate destination for his own artistic wealth, a belief that has led him to generously donate many of his works. For his ninetieth birthday, Wu once again gave away large quantities of excellent work to public museums in China and abroad, a gesture that exemplifies the artist’s noble character and sterling integrity. After its initial viewing in Shanghai, National Art Museum of China, Shanghai Art Museum, and Singapore Art Museum have now jointly organized this superlative exhibition in Beijing that combines historical documents, images and videos to provide a comprehensive display of Wu’s incredible art journey and impact to Chinese art. His noble dedication and his superb artistry will shine brilliantly here. 
　　Fan Di’an
　　Director, National Art Museum of China
　　Spring, 2009