He Deguang was born in Kumming, Yunnan in 1945. He studied art at Yunnan Art Institute and also attented the Cultural Fine Art Academy in Beijing, where he focused on mural painting.
In 1979, he joined the Shen She artists group founded by Jiang Tiefeng and Ting Shao Kuang, and exhibited his work in the first Shen She art show. In 1980, He Deguang displayed works in Hong Kong as part of the Heavy Color Movement.
As a founding Member of the Contemporary Heavy Color Artists, He Deguang’s works have been exhibited and collected throughout Asia and abroad, especially the United States.