Artist's legacy revered in Beijing exhibition

At the graduation party of a training class he instructed for two years, oil artist K. M. Maksimov (1913-93) said to his students at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing: "Now, (after two years of studying) all of you can take a rest for a few days. Then, in calm, you summarize the experiences and lessons (you learned in the class) … I hope that, in two or three years at most, I will be able to see your new works on show."

After teaching in Beijing from 1955 to 1957, Maksimov returned to his home country, then the Soviet Union.

Many of the 21 members in the "Maksimov class" became prominent figures in the circles of Chinese art and education in the decades that followed. Their works shaped the landscape of Chinese oil art in the second half of the 20th century. They also cultivated their own students, who have become influential in today's contemporary art scene.

Now, seven decades after Maksimov's class, the students, many in their 80s or older, and those who once worked with Maksimov at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, are paying tribute to this well-respected teacher and his contributions to Chinese oil painting with an exhibition at the CAFA Art Museum.

Imported Oil Painting: A Retrospective Exhibition of the Maksimov Oil Painting Training Program at CAFA (1955-1957) will be held until Jan 3. The exhibition showcases Maksimov's sketches, drawings, oil works, as well as work by those who attended his course at the academy, including manuscripts, photos, letters, documents, and publications to unfold the influential social and cultural contexts of the class.