Masterpieces traded during CIIE now on show in Shanghai

Art enthusiasts can now admire 15 contemporary paintings that were traded during the fourth China International Import Expo last year at an ongoing showcase at the Shanghai Being Art Museum.

The masterpieces on display include artworks from the 1920s to the 21st century by 10 renowned international artists.

The exhibition was organized by the administration of culture and tourism of Pudong New Area.

“The exhibition aims to facilitate cultural exchanges brought by the CIIE, offering the public an opportunity to take a closer look at the masterpieces,” said Zhang Yanan from the public education department at the museum.

Among the works is a 1969 ink painting depicting a lotus by Zhang Daqian, the late Chinese artist who specialized in landscape ink works. Another notable work is the 1942 painting by Qi Baishi (1864 -1957) which shows Tang Dynasty heroine Hong Xian.

A landscape ink painting created in 1946 by the late Chinese artist Huang Binhong (1865 -1955) features misty mountain scenery.

The realistic painting by the late Chinese painter Li Xiongcai in 1956 showcases the construction site of the Yangtze River Bridge in Wuhan, Hubei province in the 1950s when Li was teaching at a local school. The scene in the painting is said to reflect the vitality of the people during the early years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

Art pieces by foreign artists include Pumpkin by Yayoi Kusama. The pumpkin is a common theme in the Japanese artist’s works as it reminds her of her childhood. To her, the vegetable represents peace, protection and mercy, according to the museum.

At the fourth CIIE last year, a cultural relics and art section was established for the first time to encourage international arts trading and the flow-back of overseas Chinese cultural relics.

Each art institution participating in the expo was able to enjoy zero tariffs on five cultural relic pieces, according to the Shanghai Free Trade Zone International Culture Investment and Development Company.

A total of 41 art pieces worth 760 million yuan ($120.38 million) from nine foreign exhibitors including Christie’s and Sotheby’s were traded during the expo.

If you go

10 am to 5 pm (except Monday), March 1 to 25

Shanghai Being Art Museum, 135 Hongfeng road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai