The following year, Zhang came to the United States to broaden his knowledge of Western art. In 1986, he was one of the five artists in New York’s Grand Central Art Galleries show, “Realism from China”. This ground-breaking exhibit introduced Chinese oil painting and sculpture to the Western world. Art News and CBS were among the media groups acknowledging the show with interviews and favorable reviews. HongNian continued exploring Tibetan pastoral themes with his 1988 solo show, also at Grand Central.
In 1991, HongNian moved to Woodstock, New York and continued creating realistic works. He expanded his subject matter to include Chinese and American historical paintings, and eventually contemporary American life. Several of his large-scale epic paintings on Chinese history have been featured in National Geographic Magazine. Four of these paintings were purchased by the National Geographic Society for their permanent collection.
In 2000, Zhang and his wife, artist Lois Woolley, co-wrote The Yin Yang of Painting. This book explains his philosophy and methods of painting. In 2008, China’s Ren-Min Mei-Shu Publishing Company selected Zhang as one artist in their Living Masters monograph series on Chinese Contemporary Distinguished Oil Painters.
Hongnian Zhang has taught oil painting in America for many years, at both the graduate program of New York Academy and the Woodstock School of Art. Recently, Mr. Zhang accepted a position as Professor of Oil Painting at Fudan University’s Shanghai Institute of Visual Art. He is currently working with other Chinese artists to establish an Association for Epic and Historical Painting. He divides his time between China and the United States.