Exhibition honors artist's illustrious career

Twenty years after his premature death while filming a movie in Shanghai, one of modern China's most important artists, Chen Yifei (1946-2005), is having a retrospective in Shanghai focusing on his life and career.

Held at the Museum of Art Pudong from April 26 to Oct 12, Chen Yifei: A Retrospective on Art and Legacy gathers 80 of his original oil paintings, consisting of representative pieces from the important periods of his career, says Feng Yuan, chief curator of the exhibition, honorary president of the China Artists' Association and former vice-chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

"This retrospective is the largest and most comprehensive showcase of Chen's life and works," says Li Minkun, deputy general manager of Shanghai Lujiazui Group and chairman of MAP. "We made great efforts to bring dozens of his other works, such as manuscripts, sketches, watercolor paintings, movie clips, magazines and clothing, covering a wide range of subjects closely connected to all aspects of Chen's life."

Chen was a well-regarded artist, art director and film director. Born in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, he moved to Shanghai with his parents as a child, where he received art training in realism and was influenced by Russian art. In the 1960s, he began drawing nationwide attention for his heroic realism paintings, often featuring glorified depictions of soldiers, workers and historical events in China throughout the 1900s.

Seizing of the Presidential Palace is his most celebrated painting of this period, jointly created by Chen and Wei Jingshan from 1976 to 1977. The painting won first place in the 1977-1982 National Competition of Historical Paintings on Revolution. It is a monumental work made for and permanently displayed at The Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution. A life-size replica is on display at the ongoing exhibition.