Wu Guanzhong (1919-2010), born in Yixing of Jiangsu Province, was a prominent contemporary Chinese artist and art educator. He was the first living Chinese artist to have a solo show at the British Museum in 1992. He was skilled at painting various subjects including landscapes, waterscapes, figures, animals and plants.

His works reached their peak in 2011, one year after his death when two of his works went for almost one hundred million yuan one after another. However, his work took a small dive on the high-end art market in 2012. The highest-selling one was "Hong Kong Central," fetching US$2.76 million at Beijing Tranthy International Auction Co., Ltd.