Born in Tainan, Taiwan in 1951, Hsu Yu-jen graduated from the Chinese Painting department from the National School of Arts (Present day National Taiwan University of the Arts) in Taipei in 1975. From 1973 to 1975, under the guidance of Lee Chong-sheng, a pioneer of Modern Art education in Taiwan, Hsu Yu-jen was began his career in Modernism, in both the understanding and execution of art.
On a different level, Hsu Yu-jen’s disdain for material goods, and minimalistic mode of living are also prevalent influences in his art. In the late 1980s and 1990s, Hsu spent several years in the United States. During this period, he worked largely in oils, creating structural compositions with geometrical shapes and autonomous gestures, seemingly looking for an outlet of a life under high pressure.