Exhibition of late Chinese sculptor kicks off in Washington

Washington, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- An exhibition of late Chinese sculptor Liu Shiming kicked off here on Monday at the Asian Cultural Center.

The four-section exhibition "Kindness Expresses Truth and Love: Liu Shiming's Sculpture," which will run until Nov. 27, features more than 60 bronze sculptures that have combined elements of traditional Chinese art and culture with Western techniques and skills.

Born in 1926 in northern China's municipality of Tianjin, Liu was among the first generation of China's homegrown artists and participated in the creation of a number of well-known sculptures in China. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 84.

"With his unique ways, he loved people, especially ordinary people, and he loved people living real lives in the everyday world. He also loved people living happy lives in the ideal world. He pursued the essence and meaning of life and explored the unique and diverse manifestations of human nature in China," Hong Mei, managing curator of Liu Shiming Sculpture Museum at China's Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), said at the opening ceremony.

Hong voiced hope that the exhibition will help people worldwide to appreciate the unique modernization narrative that has taken place in the development of Chinese sculpture, which was rooted in Chinese traditional and local experiences.

"Mr. Liu Shiming's art is an expression of his love of life due to his near-death experience, and his ensuing love of people. It enables him (to) make subtle and extensive expressions of human kindness via his works, and make himself a kinder person," said Ma Lu, dean of the School of Plastic Arts and director of the Department of Oil Painting at the CAFA.

The exhibition marks the second leg of a global tour of Liu's works, which is organized by the CAFA. It will also be shown in Boston, Los Angeles, Sydney and Melbourne in 2020.