生於中國湖南。1948年畢業於南京市立師範學院，1949年遷居來台。1951年隨李仲生習畫，1956年與畫友創立「東方畫會」，提倡現代藝術。1965 進巴黎高等美術學校，後定居巴黎5年，1968年移居紐約，1973 為紐約O.K.哈里斯畫廊專屬畫家，2002 年再度移居上海。夏陽於2000年獲頒予國家文化藝術基金會「國家文藝獎」。曾至世界各地參與聯展逾50次，並曾於紐約米舟畫廊、巴黎杜-峨巴未畫廊、紐約O.K.哈里斯畫廊、台北誠品畫廊、台中新展望畫廊、台北市立美術館、台中省立美術館、台北帝門藝術、上海視平線畫廊與上海美術館等地舉辦個展。2005「夏陽vs 袁旃」(台北 誠品畫廊)；2006「意象五夷」(上海美術館)；2010「上海2010雙年展」(上海美術館)、「陳夏雨、熊秉明、夏陽雕塑展」(台北 誠品畫廊)。

Born in Hunan, China, he graduated from Nanking City Teachers' College and came to Taiwan with the national army in 1949. In 1951, he studied painting with Lee Chung-Shen and along with Hsiao Chin, Hsiao Ming-Hsien, Wu Hao, Lee Yuan-chia, Ho Kan, Oyang Wen-Yuan, and Chen Tao-Ming was one of the founders of the Ton-Fan Group, a vigorous promoter of modern art. In 1957, he exhibited work for the first time at the Ton-Fan Group Exhibition held in Taipei. At the end of 1963 he visited Europe for the first time and later lived in Paris for five years. In 1968, he moved to New York, then migrated to Shanghai In 2002. In 2000, the National Culture and Arts Foundation presented him with the National Art and Culture Award. Hsai has participated in international group exhibitions worldwide more than 50 times, and has held solo exhibitions in the New York, France, Taiwan, Shanghai etc.