Rare collection

"I have never been so affected by the beauty of oil paintings. The thickness of the paint, the quality of canvas, the play of light and colors, and the clear grains left me enthralled. I am amazed at how the artists have created such vivid works, without compromising on any of the details," writes a blogger after viewing the on-going From the Academia to Impressionism, Masterpieces of 19th Century European Painting, at the Beijing World Art Museum.

On display are 100 oil paintings by 56 master painters from a private collection of more than 3,000 artworks of Juan Antonio Perez Simon, the Mexican business tycoon who was present at the opening of the exhibition.

Organizers say that most of the featured artists, such as Albert Joseph Moore, Frederick Lord Leighton and Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, are unknown to local audiences, and about 90 percent of the exhibited works are in China for the first time.

The exhibition offers a glimpse of different painting genres in 19th century Europe, ranging from classicism and romanticism to realism and impressionism. It is divided into four sections - Academia and classic nude, Romantic sentiment and nostalgia, Symphony of light and color and Extol to labor work.

The Mexican collection, a treasure trove of paintings, sculptures, decorative arts and manuscripts from the 14th to the 19th centuries, is considered by art historians to be one of the most significant private art collections in the Americas.

The show will run till June 8. A series of seminars and speeches by art experts will help viewers better understand European oil paintings. The exhibition will then move to Shanghai, Changsha of Hunan province, and Guangzhou of Guangdong province.

(China Daily 04/11/2008 page20)