用“耕耘与奉献”作为吴冠中先生捐赠作品展的主题，得自于先生在上海展览开幕式上精湛的61字演讲的启发：“中华民族文化的历史是前人的脚印。今天走向哪里，需要探索、创新。我耕耘一辈子，追求未知，现在展出成果，奉献人民，请人民评判。真正的评判者是人民。”精炼质朴的话语，掷地有声。
　　用“耕耘与奉献”概括吴先生的艺术生涯以及他对人民的慷慨，是最佳的阐释！
　　他曾说老师“林风眠在创作上走的是一条寂寞的路，是孤独者之路。”他自己又何尝不是如此呢？
　　他选择“在孤独中探寻自己的路，路很窄，且多独木桥。实在无法迁就当时对人物画的要求，便转向不被重视的风景画，藏情于景”了。
　　尽管吴先生半个多世纪的耕耘所取得的业绩有目共睹，他还是非常智慧地把自己艺术创作成果的评判权，留给了作品的欣赏者。
　　这是一位真正艺术家对待自己耕耘成果的选择：让成果与人民分享。在吴先生看来：“个人的坎坷与成果，系于祖国的命运。‘探索’割不断民族传统。‘叛逆’是生存的挣扎，传统的发扬。‘吃的是草，挤的是奶。’草，是长在祖国土地上的草，奶也应属于祖国和人民。”
　　1999年，中国美术馆第一次荣幸地得到了吴先生的丰厚馈赠，他向中国美术馆捐赠了巨幅水墨画《逍遥游》、《根扎南国》及油画《崂山松石》、《红莲》等10幅90年代创作的精品。其时正是国内艺术市场化的活跃期，吴先生作品在艺术市场上持续走高，而中国美术馆的收藏正处于因经费有限，加之艺术市场化带来的冲击而有些力不从心的窘境。吴冠中先生的无偿捐赠如雪中送炭，令中国美术馆的全体同仁深受鼓舞又心生感动。这些作品因其独特的艺术魅力和吴先生在20世纪中国美术进程中不可忽略的影响，而在中国美术馆筹划的一系列国际国内展览中发挥着重要的作用。
　　2009年，吴先生向上海美术馆、新加坡美术馆分别捐赠了为数可观、内涵丰富的作品后，再一次向中国美术馆捐赠了以21世纪以来的新创作为主的作品36幅。
　　不知是巧合还是有意安排，两次捐赠相隔整整10年，而捐赠的作品也基本上是这10年间的新作，这使得中国美术馆藏吴先生的作品能够均衡地涉及他艺术创作的新阶段。
　　在这些作品中，我们看到画家以更加放纵的笔触和强烈的色彩释放着内心深处的思想激情，油画《野草》是对生命强者的纪念和歌颂，也是画家对青年时代崇拜的鲁迅精神一往情深的表达；《建楼曲》则是画家在点与线、色与墨、刚与柔的对比中构成的韵律之交响。
　　吴先生的奉献精神，令多年从事美术馆事业的人们仿佛接受了一次精神的洗礼。面对艺术家如此博大的胸怀和气魄，也促动着美术馆人敬业精神的升华。是吴先生的奉献之举，给我们美术馆人提供了一次难得的馆际之间彼此合作的机会，让我们馆际之间能够敞开胸怀共享资源，也让我们抛开狭隘的收藏观念，为彼此珍藏如此优秀的艺术作品而庆贺、而自豪。
　　感谢吴先生的家人，是他们的理解与支持使捐赠得以顺利实现，他们与画家一样有着一颗火热赤诚的心。
　　我们不会忘记：
　　中国美术馆在联系作品交接时，吴先生正因病住院治疗。他特意从医院请假回家，亲自与馆长交接作品，那情景，就像老父亲送“女儿出嫁”。
　　本次捐赠，中国美术馆正处在“20世纪国家美术收藏和捐赠奖励专项计划”落实的过程中，吴先生属于这一计划范畴中非常重要的艺术家，能够使先生的作品在国家美术收藏中进一步得到丰富也正是我们所期待的目标。按照相关规定，对向国家捐赠作品的艺术家要做适当奖励。当我们依据以往工作惯例，就奖励金事宜征询先生意见时，吴先生对国家的奖励予以拒绝了。我知道，这一决定，和当年他选择艺术道路一样，无法改变，这是他的性格。
　　我赞同殷双喜先生的看法：吴先生的艺术“属于人类历史上那种可以滋养心灵的艺术，是中国现代化进程中最需要的精神维生素，是一种让人平静思绪 的艺术，也是一种让人静观自然的艺术，更是一种令人反思的艺术”。
　　吴冠中先生说，他愿意像鲁迅先生《野草》中的过客那样，永远走向未知。他在艺术创造中探索未知，这探索永无终结。
　　“中华民族文化的历史是前人的脚印”，吴冠中先生走的路也非常坚实，他的探索精神、他的艺术创造，必将会给未来留下印迹深刻的脚印。
　　2009年春
　　Why I use “Hardworking and Dedication” as the theme of this article benefited from the evocation of Mr. Wu Guangzhong’s short speech (about 61 words) at the opening ceremony of an art exhibition in Shanghai “The history of Chinese national culture is our predecessors’ footprints. Today wherever I go, I always need exploration and innovation. I have been working hard and search for an unknown world of art, now I contribute my achievement to the public and ask them to judge it. I think, the public are the real judgers to my art works.” How simple and refined his words are!
　　It is the best explanation with “Hardworking and Dedication” to generalize Mr. Wu’s art career and his generosity to people, I think.
　　Mr. Wu once said that his teacher Mr. Lin Fengmian’s art career was just like a lonely path, a path for a lonely person. I think, so it is with Mr. Wu.
　　He said he has chosen a road of art along which he can search for his own way of art all by himself, and “this path is narrow and desolate, with many foot-logs”, and when he found he was unable to humor people’s demand for figure drawing, he began to engage the creation of landscape drawing.
　　Although Mr. Wu has made great achievements in art, he has humbly and rationally given the right of judgment to his art works to the people who love his art works.
　　This is the choice of a real artist for his own art achievements: to share them with the public. In Mr. Wu’s eyes, “personal sufferings and achievements are deeply rooted in his motherland’s fate. “Exploration” cannot be cut off from national tradition, and “rebellion” means a sort of struggle for survival and developing tradition. What I eat is grass and what is got form me is milk. The Grass grows in the land of my motherland and the Milk should belong to my motherland and the people.”
　　In 1999, for the first time, Mr. Wu donated ten pieces of his precious art works to China Art Gallery, including Happy Trip, Rooted in the Southland, Pines, Rocks in Laoshan Mount and Red Lotus, which are created in 1990’s. At that time, the art market in China was rather prosperous, and the price of Mr. Wu’s art works was rising higher and higher, so Mr. Wu’s gratuitous donation was a timely assistance and inspiration to China Art Gallery which was then characterized by scantiness of funds. Those art works are Mr. Wu’s condensed hardworking and efforts, standing for Mr. Wu’s influence in the history of Chinese art of 20th century, and they have been playing an important role and highly praised by visitors and art lovers in many kinds of art shows both at home and abroad held by China Art Gallery. 
　　In 2009, after donating many pieces of his refined art works to Shanghai Art Gallery and Singapore Art Gallery, Mr. Wu again donated 36 pieces of his art works he created from 1999 to 2008 to China Art Gallery.
　　So that it has made it possible for China Art Gallery to collect and study Mr. Wu’s art in an all-round way.
　　Those art works show his more indulgent and free skill in drawing and painting and strong color that release his passion and thought. Wild Grass, a piece of oil painting, is an appreciation to a dogged life and an expression of his admiration to Mr. Lu Xun in his early years. Building is a symphony of rhythm formed with the contrast between point and line, color and ink, strong feeling and gentle feeling.
　　Mr. Wu's dedication means a baptism to us all who serve in art galleries and have greatly prompted our professional dedication. It is Mr. Wu’s spirit of dedication that has brought us a rare opportunity of cooperation between art galleries: Throwing off narrow ideas of collection and sharing resources each other and feeling proud of collecting such excellent art works.
　　Many thanks to Mr. Wu’s family as their understanding and support realized the donation. They all have a same fiery sincere heart as Mr. Wu Has.
　　We will never forget that China Art Gallery tried to contact Mr. Wu, when he was in hospitalization. He asked for leave to return home from the hospital, and gave his art works to the curator of China Art Gallery all by himself. That scene seemed just like “an old father saying good-bye to his married daughter”
　　China Art Gallery is carrying out a “special awarding plan of state collecting for art works of 20th century”, and Mr. Wu is one of the most important artists who are of this special plan. In accordance with the relevant provision, the state will award the artists who donate their art works to China Art Gallery. When we consulted with Mr. Wu about the award, Mr. Wu refused any kind of award. I know, his decision could not be changed, just as he selected painting as his career. This is his choice. 
　　I quite approve of Mr. Yin Shuangxi’s idea: Mr. Wu’s drawing works is of a kind art that can nourish the spirit and soul in human history, a kind of spiritual vitamins that is needed most in the process of China's modernization, a kind of art that can calm people’s emotion, a kind of art that can let people understand nature, and a kind of art that can arouse self-examination.
　　Mr. Wu Guanzhong once said that he would always like to walk towards an unknown world as the passerby in Wild Grass written by Master Lu Xun. He keeps exploring an unknown world in art creation, and this kind of exploration is endless.
　　"The history of Chinese national culture is our predecessors’ footprints." Mr. Wu Guanzhong’s art career is full of difficulties and success, and his spirit of exploration and his creation will surely leave deep footprints for future.