Chen, Peiqiu (陈佩秋) is one of the most prominent modern women artists born in China. In 2016, she was ranked number 16 on the list with sales of US$7.9 million. Only three of the top 100 artists on the list were women, and Chen was the highest-ranked among them. One of her landscape paintings was sold in 2014 for $3.4 million.

Chen Peiqiu was born in 1922. During the World War II, she took refuge with her family in Kunming, Yunnan Province. In childhood she was influenced by her mother, who was an artist, but Chen was more interested in engineering, as she thought studying engineering would be more beneficial to the society. Although she was accepted by the engineering department of National Southwestern Associated University, her family opposed her choice and forced her to transfer to the economics department. She ended up not attending the university.

During World War II, Kunming was a major hub for refugees from all over China. Chen attended an art exhibition of Huang Junbi, a prominent painter of the Lingnan School. With Huang's encouragement, she applied to the National Academy of Art (now China Academy of Art in Hangzhou) and was accepted. She was influenced by Professor Li, Keran (Qi, Baishi's Student), and other artists who taught at the academy. She studied literati painting (guó huà, 國畫) and graduated in 1950.

Chen specialized in traditional Chinese painting, especially landscape, flowers, and birds, although she was also interested in impressionism and postimpressionism. She exhibited in the first Shanghai Biennale in 2000.

Chen was married to the famous painter Xie Zhiliu (1910–1997), with whom she often collaborated. They are one of the best known couples in Chinese art.

(from wikipedia)