夏葆元，1944年2月生，国内著名画家。1965年毕业于上海美专本科油画系，与陈逸飞、魏景山并称“美专三杰”。后在上海工艺美术研究所任艺术指导达十五年之久。1981年始在上海交通大学美术研究室任西画部主任，1985年始在上海油画雕塑院任油画创作组负责人，1988年年初被评为国家一级美术师。1988年4月移居美国纽约，至1991年修习于纽约亨特学院及普拉特美术学院。

作品曾展出于国内及日本、美国、意大利等国家，并获多种创作及出版奖项。现为中国美术家协会及上海美术家协会会员。

夏葆元《女性水成》系列创作于2001-2003年艺术家旅居纽约时。以水彩为媒介描绘了一众芭蕾舞者，共22幅。该作品集于2014年由天津人民美术出版社出版。

Born in February 1944, Xia Baoyuan is a famous painter in China. Graduated from the undergraduate oil painting department of Shanghai Art College in 1965, and is known as the "Three Masters of Art College" alongside Chen Yifei and Wei Jingshan. Later, he served as an art director at the Shanghai Institute of Arts and Crafts for fifteen years. In 1981, he served as the director of the Western Painting Department at the Art Research Office of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. In 1985, he served as the head of the oil painting creation team at the Shanghai Oil Painting and Sculpture Institute. In early 1988, he was rated as a national first-class artist. In April 1988, he moved to New York, USA and studied at Hunter College and Platt Academy of Fine Arts till 1991.

His works have been exhibited domestically and in countries such as Japan, the United States, Italy, and have won various creative and publishing awards. Now he is a member of China Artists Association and Shanghai Artists Association.

The "Women in Water" series was created during the artist's stay in New York from 2001 to 2003. 22 images depicting a group of ballet dancers using watercolor as a medium. This collection of works was published by Tianjin People's Art Publishing House in 2014.