Impressionist Painting in China： The Long Struggle for Acceptance

The exhibition “Impressionist Masterpieces from France‘s National Collections”, which marks the start of the Year of France in China, debuted in Beijing in October 2004 and moved on to Shanghai and Hong Kong after six weeks in the Chinese capital. The exhibits consist of 51 masterpieces by major French impressionists, such as Claude Monet‘s series of paintings “Waterlilies”, Edgar Degas‘ series “Ballet Dancers” and Pierre-August Renoir‘s series “Women, Children.” This was the first large-scale exhibition of impressionist paintings ever displayed in China.     

A Walk in the Dashanzi

At the end of Apdl, the opening ceremony of the First Dashanzi International Art Festival, which lasted a month, was held in the Tense Space studio of the “798 Factory” area in Beijing‘s Chaoyang District. The opening ceremony attracted some 1,000 participants, half of which were foreigners. With the theme of “Light, Sound, Time”, the festival consisted of more than 30 displays of various forms of modem art, including visual arts, sound arts, live concerts, dancing, plays, performing arts, and architecture and design exhibitions. There were also four independent film festivals, and eight visual arts exhibitions including photography, painting, performing and installation. With over 200 famous artists from both home and abroad showing their talents, and about 40 art studios in the area open to public, this non-governmental festival was the first of its kind in the 20-year development of modern arts in China.     

Cai Guoqiang： I Want to Believe

For Cai Guoqiang, August 2008 means a time full of not only challenge but also grace. As the chief designer of fire display for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Cai demonstrated his aesthetics of gun powder in front of more than 4 billion viewers from across the world. Also in this month, his solo exhibition Cai Guoqiang： I Want To Believe＂ was opened in Beijing, which was co-presented by the National Art Museum of China, Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Center of International Cultural Exchange. Beijing was the second leg of this globa tour. Its exhibition tn Guggenheim in the first half of this year was acclaimed as one of the important cultural events in the world. From February to May,Gugcjenheim moved out all the exhibits, including Picasso＇s, and all its three storeys of exhibition space were used to display Cai＇s works created over the past two decades.     

A Crystal Palace on Meridian Gate Tower

Editor＇s note： In May 2004, the renovation of Meridian Gate Tower in the Forbidden City was launched. In May 2005, the first phase of the renovation was completed and in its new exhibition hall was displayed treasures from Versailles Palace collections. This first exhibition in Meridian Gate Tower marked the building＇s re-opening to the public after more than 30 years. In the glass exhibition hall. viewers experienced the incredible charm of French arts.     

Hideo Mori： Illusions of Life and Concerns of Humanity

<正>The exhibition "Illusive Sky: Hideo Mori’s Painting Works" will be held in the National Art Museum of China in the spring of 2010. This exhibition aims to review the artist’s painting practices since 1970, in particular, his     

PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL OF DIVERSITY AND HARMONY

Highlights of the FestivalWith more than 80 exhibitions and 8000 displays, this photography festival is larger in scale than the previous ones, focusing on the artistic personality of photographers to create a diversified atmosphere and demonstrate a harmonious artistic flavor. One of the highlights of the festival is the photo collection of nearly 350 pieces taken by 30 photographers and brought to the exhibition by 15 photographers from Contact Press Images led by its president Mr. Robert …     

China through Camera Lens

In the end of April, a photography exhibition “China in the Eyes of a Beninese Photographer” was opened in China Culture Center in Benin, displaying photographic works by Beninese freelancer photographer Yves Kofi, This exhibition is part of “Beautiful Nations” series which aims to attract Chinese and Beninese photographers to shoot historic sites, traditions and customs, natural landscape and social progress of Benin and China, This annual photo exhibition series saw its first session in the end of 2007, which showcased nearly 100 photo works by more than 30 Beninese and Chinese photographers.     

Polish Olympic Stamps and Chopin Posters Displayed in Beijing

The exhibition ＂Olympic Stamps from Polish Chopin＇s Hometown＂, a major event of Culture Festival, was held from May 18 to June 2 in Boyi Gallery in Beijing. This exhibition, in celebration of the 2008 Olympics and ever-growing cultural ties between China and Poland, was coorganized by Chinese Cultural Ministry and Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, in partnership with the Center of International Cultural Exchange, China ＆. World Cultural Exchange magazine and Adama Mickiewicza Institute.     

“Reviewing the City”—— Guangzhou Photo Biennial 2005

““Reviewing the City““ —— Guangzhou Photo Biennial 2005, organized by Guangdong Art Museum and supported by Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, was held early this year. The exhibition is a major event following ““Humanistic China““, a documentary photo exhibition displayed in 2003, reflecting the museum‘s strategy to focus on contemporary photographing.     

EXHIBITION COMMEMORATING WU GUANZHONG HELD IN NATIONAL GALLERY

A special exhibition was held in the Nationa Art Museum of China from July 7 to August 2, commemorating contemporary master painter Wu Guanzhong, who passed away during the late evening hours of June 25. The exhibition displayed 62 works from master Wu, all from the museum＇s collection and covered three exhibition halls on the fifth floor of the museum.     

2004： An Epitome of Chinese Film Over the 20th century

2004 was a special year for Chines emovies. In this year, various types of movies were produced and shown to welcome the 100th anniversary of China‘s movie industry which will come in 2005. These new productions provided us an opportunity to review and recall the history of Chinese movies in the past 100 years.     

Art Information

On October 17, Chinese contemporary artist Zeng Fanzhi opened his first Parisian exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. It is the artist＇s most comprehensive solo exhibition to date in Europe. The exhibition looks back on his career, which has spanned over two decades. From early German Expressionist inspired pieces such as the Hospital series, to the more recent Untitled series, which recalls both American Abstract Expressionism and Chinese traditional ink landscapes. In this way, Zeng thus sets his distinctive style apart from artists from around the globe.     

30 Years of Chinese Modern Sculpture Exhibition of 100 Sculptors was held in National Gallery

The Exhibition of 100 Sculptors was recently on display in the National Art Museum of China. With an objective to review the development of Chinese sculpture over the past 30 years of reform and opening up, this grand exhibition project was launched in November 2008. Master sculptors like Pan He, Qian Shaowu, Ye Minshan, Zeng Chenggang, Cao Chunshen, Han Meilin and Wu Weishan were invited to form an expert panel to select 104 masterpieces from nearly 2000 candidate works. Participant sculptors vary in age, from master sculptor Liu Kaiqu to young sculptors born in the 1980s. The exhibition clearly outlines the evclution of Chinese modern sculpture and showcases masterpieces of important sculptors with diversified styles, including abstract, transmogrified and exaggerated creations by Han Meilin, neo-realist sculpture by Wu Xinkun and the impressionist style by Wu Weishan.     

Ding Xiaoyang： Let＇s Make More DVs

On May 9,2004, Ding Xiaoyang‘s DV work “W2‘s Last Summer“ won“The Best Documentary“ at the 11th Film Festival for University Students in Beijing. “I attended the festival on the behalf of myself.“ declared Ding Xiaoyang. Nevertheless, the senior of Sichuan University majoring in directing has actually brought honor not only to himself, but also to his university, and even the city of Chengdu.     

Peking Opera on Canvas

For a whole week this spring, Tokyo International Conference Center in the famous district of Yurakucho, Japan‘s Broadway, became an unusual sort of Peking opera house. The exquisite sentiments of many famous arias of Peking opera were illustrated in oil paintings shown in the exhibition “Beauty of Color”.     

Impression on Oil Painter Wei Kuizhong

On my way back to Beijing, I dropped into the art museum of Hebei Provincial Institute of Painting in the city of Shijiazhuang, where an exhibition on Wei Kuizhong＇s off paintings was on the display. I was so overwhelmed by those extraordinary works that I was eager to talk to the painter. Wei was a sincere and determined artist. He looked taciturn but when it came to his artistic pursuits and ideas, his eloquence surprised me. In the Chinese art market today when everybody complains about the lack of mainstream artworks, Wei＇s oil masterpieces with thrilling make him stand out as a leading figure.     

FOCUS ON CHINESE CULTURE --The art exhibition ＂China in Eyes of African Artists＂ held in Benin

A s a comprising event of ＂Focus on Chinese Culture 2009＂ series, the art exhibition ＂China in Eyes of African Artists＂ , was recently held in China Culture Center in Cotonou,economic capital city of Benin. An artist delegation from Shenzhen was invited to attend this event. Some 300 officials, diplomats and artists participated in the opening ceremony.     

Capital of Cultural Diversity Attracts Tourists Worldwide ——2006 Quanzhou Tourism Promotion Fair

2006 Quanzhou Tourism Promotion Fair, with the theme of ＂blue Quanzhou bay and fascinating Shaolin Gongfu of south China＂ took place from September 4 to 7 in Quanzhou, a historically and culturally famous city in the coastal province of Fujian. More than 1000 participants from Russia, Japan, South Korea, Germany, the Philippines and Singapore as well as representatives from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and other provinces and cities of the country attended this promotional fair, which aimed to showcase the city＇s tourism resources.     

An Attempt to Rescue Traditional Culture

On November 8, an exhibition on the replicas of lost painting and calligraphic masterpieces, used to be part of the Qing court collection, opened in the National Library of China. This one-month exhibition was co-organized by the collection connoisseurship committee of China Cultural Relics Soceity and Liaoning Provincial Museum. During the exhibition, the reporter interviewed Mr. Li Chun, curator of this exhibition.[第一段]