The Yan-Huang Art Gallery, located at Yayuncun (the Asian Games Village), is Beijing's first large modern art gallery. It was sponsored by celebrated Chinese painter, Huang Zhou, and built with donations from art lovers from all walks of life, both at home and abroad. Its collection consists mainly of contemporary Chinese paintings, and also includes ancient Chinese paintings and calligraphy, cultural relics and other works of art.
The Yan-Huang Art Gallery comprises a central lobby, exhibition halls, a multi-function hall, and a painting warehouse. The museum buildings reflect the architectural styles of the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. Their layout is non-symmetrical, combining the spirit of the era, cultural tradition and local characteristics. The roofs of the three main buildings are in the shape of multiple trapezoids, the roof tiles are of a deep-purple glaze, and the walls are covered by granite. The main gate is of solid bronze, and the whole structure exudes artistic appeal.
The works of Huang Zhou occupy a prominent place in the art gallery, and include the works of art he created, as well as cultural relics and masterpieces collected over his lifetime. Influential Chinese artists, such as Xu Beihong, Fu Baoshi and Li Keran, and master artists residing overseas, often exhibit their works here.
Besides exhibitions of Chinese paintings, the gallery often holds national exhibitions of fine arts, such as oil paintings, sculpture, woodblock prints and cultural relics. To encourage young and middle-aged painters, personal painting shows exhibiting the work of young and middle-aged artists of Beijing are held regularly. The Invitational Exhibition of Chinese Paintings 99 was staged at the Yan-Huang.
The gallery is active in international art exchanges. Its major exhibitions in this field have included the work of Russian painters, the International Biennial Exhibition of Woodblock Prints 2000, and the Fourth Asian Exhibition of Cartoons. Fine arts exhibitions from more than 20 countries have been held at the Yan-Huang, including Iran, the Republic of Korea, Brazil, Japan, Belgium, and Bulgaria.
The Yan-Huang Art Gallery is also an academic research institute, and holds symposiums and academic exchange activities annually. In 1993, for example, Doctor Tsungdao Lee and Huang Zhou jointly sponsored a science and art symposium, which prompted widespread social response.
(Chinatoday.com 05/16/2001)
