Obituary

In Honor of Her Life
July 4th 1925 ~ March 2nd 2017

Jianbai Jenny Xu, 91, of Irvine California, passed away peacefully on March 2nd, 2017.

Xu is an accomplished and well respected painter and professor. She was born in July 4th, 1943 in an aristocratic family from Hangzhou, China.

Xu attended the Chinese National Art School in Chongqing from 1941 to 1946, and graduated from the studio of Lin Fengmian, a founder of the first Chinese National Art School and a master painter himself, played the most important role in introducing western and modern fine art into China after he returned from his study in Paris in the early 20th century.

Among the very few Chinese female painters of her generation, Xu continued her fine art studies by coming to U.S. in 1947, first attending the Nazareth Academy (now Spalding University) in Kentucky and then enrolled into the Chicago Fine Art Institute.

Xu returned to China in 1949, where she had been teaching oil painting in Fine Art Academy in Guangzhou until she retired in the 1990s.

Xu devoted her whole life to her paintings and her teaching. She had created a great amount of art works and many of her students have gained recognition domestically and internationally.

Jianbai met her husband, Xuesheng Tan (passed away in 2011), in the same Lin studio they attended, and he worked as the Dean in the same fine art schools with her over their lifetime.

After their retirement, they moved to U.S. to live close to their children. They continued painting until their last day and they donated many of their art works to the public and museums.

Jianbai is survived by her son, Jialuo Tan; her daughters, Kathy Huo and Janet Tan; and her grandchildren, Diana Tan, Jinling Huo, Yuling Huo and Leon Tan.

Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 11th at 7:00 PM at O’Connor Mortuary, 25301 Alicia Pkwy., Laguna Hills, CA, US, 92653.
Tel: 949-581-4300

Refreshments will be served from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM in the same place.

The entire service will be broadcasted in real time. Please contact O’Connor for invitation: https://www.oconnormortuary.com