The Chen Mao School of Art began in Beijing, China as a private school that taught many styles of oil painting, watercolor and ink drawings to gifted children and adults.

Chu Yen Lo, one of China's famous artists opened the Chen Mao School of Art in 1955, naming it for his brother-in-law, whom he greatly admired for his drawing and teaching ability. Chen Mao initially contributed to the funding needed to open Chu's, Chen Mao School of Art.

Although Chen Mao did not paint in oil or watercolor, he was a master of the pen and ink technique. Chu Yen Lo developed the techniques of heavily textured oil paint and the use of horse hair for depth, teaching these signature techniques to his students for the next seven years.

Out growing the small space in Beijing, Chu Yen Lo moved the school to a larger space in Hong Kong. Chen Mao, not wishing to move, returned to teaching at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Chu Yen Lo hired three very talented former graduates in Hong Kong with plans of catering to tourists. All students were instructed to signed their work with the school's name "Chen Mao" and began using the Chinese character (in red paint) for the Chen Mao School of Art in the mid-1970s.

With slow sales, Chu Yen Lo shipped over 300 of the student’s completed oil paintings to United States and Great Britain to be sold through art dealers and galleries. To fund the additional costs, all the artwork produced by students were sold once completed, inspected and approved. 

By the early 1980s, there were thousands of oil paintings in the U.S. market. So many in fact that at-home-art-parties dominated the majority of sales. Prices plummeted. Ready to retire, Chu Yen Lo sold the school to Zhang Yong.

As of October 2016, Chen Mao is living in an assisted living and nursing facility, the Jianghu Zhuangyuan (General’s Garden), in Beijing.

The proper way to write a Chinese person’s name; last name then first name; so the name is really Mao Chen and Yen Lo Chu.

Notes: The Chen Mao School of Art did not provide or authorize any "Certificates of Authenticity" (COA) nor did they when selling in bulk to art resellers in the USA and Europe. Any claim of a COA is not authentic because it is unknown which student painted which painting.

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