From 19th-century European oil paintings to contemporary art, spanning three centuries; from the Americas to Oceania, connecting five continents. More than 200 international art collections gather here and now, meeting us in the present.
Many of these works once lay silent in storage, yet each bears distinct marks of its era and artistic value. One after another, batch after batch, the enrichment and accumulation of international art collections not only reflect the development of the art museum, the achievements of fine arts education and international exchanges at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, but also outline, from a side perspective, cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries and the global art ecosystem.
The international collection of CAFA Art Museum began in the 1930s. The old collection of European oil paintings from the Beiping Research Institute and the individual collection of Chiyo Yazaki formed the initial foundation. Starting from the 1950s, the academy systematically purchased and collected European and Soviet works during the construction of the exhibition hall, supplemented by donations from teachers and gifts from international artists, gradually expanding the scale of the collection. Works by renowned artists such as the Soviet Union's Kravchenko and Japan's Matazo Kayama, donated by embassies in China and international friends, are all precious relics of their time.
The art museum designed by Arata Isozaki was completed in 2008, marking a new stage in the development of its international collection. Important contemporary artworks have been added to the collection through donations from collectors, institutions, and embassies: conceptual art by Joseph Beuys from Germany and Yoko Ono, a Japanese-American; paintings by Sean Scully from Ireland and Ha Dong-joon from South Korea; sculptures by Bjørn Nørgaard from Denmark; videos by Roman Signer from Switzerland; photography by Agnès Varda and Marc Riboud from France; as well as works by international art masters such as A.R. Penck from Germany and Matta-Clark from Chile, all together weaving an international art network.
This exhibition is the first comprehensive display of the international artworks in the collection of the CAFA Art Museum, presented in two juxtaposed sections: "International Art Treasures" and "Chinese Mirrors".
"International Art Treasures" sorts out the collections from the perspective of cultural diversity, highlighting the international vision and diversified pattern in the construction of the art museum's collection system; "Chinese Mirror Image" takes the works created in China by four foreign artists with China as the theme as samples, showing the Chinese image from a foreign perspective.
"Viewing the World" and "Exploring China" consist of two units: one from the inside out and the other from the outside in. These two units form a two-way cultural gaze and dialogue, exploring the cross-border flow of art and striving to demonstrate the profound significance of cultural exchange and mutual learning. These two forces, like Tai Chi, circulate and interact with each other, reflecting the dynamic landscape of the continuous growth and change of world art.
Special reminder.
The exhibition will be extended until September 3, 2025. Visitors are welcome to come and see the exhibition!
Exhibition information.
2025 National Exhibition Season of Art Museums' Brilliant Collections Organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Interflowing Artscapes: CAFAM International Exchange Research Exhibition from the Collection
Organizer: CAFA Art Museum
Duration: July 18 - September 3, 2025
Venue: 3A & 3B Gallery, CAFA Art Museum
Translator: ZHANG Xinni
Reviewer: ZHANG Yifan
