CAFA carves out legacy for late sculptor Liu

Late sculptor Liu Shiming could have stayed in Beijing to carve out a successful career like many of his contemporaries.

Yet, throughout the 1960s, he taught at schools and worked at museums in the provinces of Henan and Hebei. There, he formed close contact with people from different walks of life, and received an extensive exposure to rich and diverse folk cultures.

Liu developed a distinguished style. He sculpted figures of ordinary people he had known, such as villagers, factory workers, herders and local opera performers. And his work, often depicting scenes from the daily lives of his subjects, presents a touch of worldly simplicity and human warmth.