Getting back to the essence of art

Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Sanyu (Chang Yu) and Wu Guanzhong, are the names that not only represent the development of Chinese oil painting spanning over a century, but also bear witness to a splendid era of the Sino-French artistic exchanges.

Today, their disciples have teamed up with a dozen French counterparts to share views on common challenges of art in the context of globalization, through the media of oil, pencil and bronze.

ChiFra displays more than 100 works, largely paintings and some sculptures, of Chinese and French artists who are active in their circles. The exhibition, after its weeklong debut at the Avenue des Champs-Elysees that attracted thousands of viewers last October, is now housed at the National Art Museum of China.