Ludwigs' treasures

The National Art Museum of China displays pieces donated by a German collector couple in 1996, Lin Qi reports.

Thomas Eller, a German artist who has lived in Beijing for three years, had a "strange yet sweet" feeling when he looked at some 50 works of modern and contemporary art displayed at the National Art Museum of China last week. They were donated to the museum by German art collector Irene Ludwig and her late husband, Peter Ludwig, more than two decades ago.

"The shown artists are all familiar to me and seeing their works reminds me of my work back in Germany's art circles," Eller says. "What a wonderful way to share our cultural experiences with a large audience in China."