“No. 2A Dayabao Hutong: Memories of the 20th Century Chinese Artists,” a photo and painting exhibition at Guan Shanyue Art Museum, tells the stories of Chinese fine arts masters who lived together at No. 2A Dayabao Hutong in central Beijing from the late 1940s to the 1980s.
“No. 2A Dayabao Hutong, was a compound of 25 rooms, used as accommodations for the Central Academy of Fine Arts staff members. It was Xu Beihong, then-president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, who gathered the fine art luminaries living there,” said Li Xiaoke, son of master Li Keran (1907-1989).
“More than 30 Chinese masters had made their homes there, including Zhang Ding, Wu Guanzhong, Li Keran, Ye Qianyu, Li Kuchan, Dong Xiwen and Huang Yongyu. The masters specializing in traditional Chinese painting, oil painting, print, design, sculpture and art theory were the pioneers of modern Chinese art.”
Li Xiaoke said he moved into the hutong with his father in 1948 and through a child’s eyes, the masters were just affable neighbors. “As I grew old and looked back upon the masters’ works and life experiences, I could sense that they were aspiring pioneers who had a passion for life and art, possessing a spirit of dedication and daring to face challenges and hardship.”
Among the artists, Zhang (1917-2010) was best known as one of the four designers of China’s national emblem. Dong (1914-1973) gained his fame for “The Founding of the Nation,” an oil painting on canvas. Zhou Lingzhao (born 1919), Deng Shu (born 1929), Hou Yimin (born 1930) and Chen Ruoju (1928-2013) were among the designers of the third and fourth series of the renminbi banknotes.
Marin Varbanov (1932-1989) from Bulgaria was one of a few expat residents in the hutong. He obtained his master degree from the Central Academy of Fine Arts and taught at the China Academy of Art in Zhejiang Province in the 1980s.
“The masters learned from each other by exchanging views after work in the hutong. Through the exhibition, people will gain a better picture of what these 20th-century Chinese fine art masters experienced in their journey of art,” said Li Xiaoke.
Dates: Until March 4
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mondays
Venue: Guan Shanyue Art Museum, 6026 Hongli Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路6026号关山月美术馆)
Metro: Line 3 or 4, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit B
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