潘玉良（1899–1977），安徽桐城人，生於江蘇揚州。原姓陳，幼年父母雙亡，親屬收養後改姓張，淪落青樓，幸遇蕪湖鹽督潘贊化為其贖身，納為妾室，改換夫姓。婚後開始習畫，並進入上海美術專科學校成為首批女學生，後考入法國里昂中法大學成為首批留法學生、義大利羅馬國立美術學院就讀，後受聘為上海美專西洋畫科主任，1937年起赴法旅居40年，藝術成就受法國政府表彰。與方君璧、孫多慈等人被譽為「民國六大新女性畫家」；與徐悲鴻為旅法同儕，與袁樞真為好友。本館於1995年舉辦「雙玉交輝：常玉潘玉良畫展」，2006年舉辦「畫魂一潘玉良」。
Pan Yu-lin (1899-1977), a native of Tongcheng, Anhui Province, was born in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. Originally surnamed Chen, she was orphaned at a young age and adopted by relatives, after which her surname was changed to Zhang. She was later forced into a brothel. Her life changed when Pan Zanhua, a salt official in Wuhu, purchased her freedom and took her as his concubine, leading her to adopt his surname. Following her marriage, Pan began studying painting and enrolled at the Shanghai Art Academy as one of its first female students. She later gained admission to the lnstitut Franco-Chinois de Lyon as one of the first students to study in France, and went on to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. She later returned to head the Western Painting Department at the Shanghai Art Academy. In 1937, she relocated to France, where she lived for forty years and earned official recognition for her artistic achievements from the French government. Alongside Fan Tchun-pi and Sun To-ze, she was counted among the “Six Leading New Women Painters of Republican China.” She and Xu Bei-hong were fellow artists living in France, and she was a friend of Yuan Chu-sheng. NMH presented “The Joint Exhibition of Sanyu and Pan Yu-lin” in 1995, followed by “Pan Yu-lin: The Painting Soul” in 2006.
《裸女》，為潘玉良1952年油彩畫布作品。以黑色線條勾勒人體，筆觸涵融書法意趣，縱橫交錯布滿畫面，是作者創作彩墨作品時的慣用手法。畫中裸女側坐於紅花布墊上，左手捧書、右手自然垂放於左腳踝；神情恬靜專注，彷彿陶醉在閱讀的樂趣中。其微微上揚的嘴角與怡然的面容，隱約流露出早期西洋古典雕塑藝術在形塑人物時的動人神韻。
Nude is an oil painting on canvas by Pan Yu-lin, created in 1952. Rendered in strong black outlines filled with calligraphic tension, the crisscrossing brushstrokes cover the composition in a style characteristic of her color-ink works. The nude woman sits sideways on a red floral cushion, holding a book in her left hand while her right hand rests naturally on her left ankle. Her expression is serene and focused, as if absorbed in the joy of reading. The subtle upturn of her lips and tranquil countenance faintly evoke the captivating spirit of the human figure in early Western classical sculpture.
油彩油畫 1952 | 縱20 橫15公分 | 1984年入藏 | 國立歷史博物館 | 典藏編號75–03720
Oil on canvas, 1952 | 20 × 15 cm | Acquired in 1984 | Collection of the National Museum of History | Accession No. 75-03720
《裸女》
Nude
