As the art institute holding the most number of works by Qi Baishi, Beijing Academy of Fine Arts has always been devoted to study and promote Qi Baishi’s works of art. Meanwhile, based on the archive and research on the current collection, we collaborated with other art institutes for academic exchange to deepen the understanding of Qi Baishi’s works. As the first opening exhibition of 2018, in collaboration with Xu Beihong Museum, Beijing Academy of Fine Art will be hosting the grand opening of “The Splendid Works of Ink by Qi Baishi: Xu Beihong’s Collection of Qi Baishi” on February 2nd.
Both Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi are the great masters of 20th century in China. They developed intimate friendship ever since they first encountered each other in 1920s. Their common artistic interests and creative spirits in art creations led them to become the firmest of friends with complete mutual understanding and respect. Until 1953, the year of Xu Beihong’s sudden death, their enduring close friendship lasted over decades of years and had become a well-known touching story in the 20th century Chinese Art History.
This exhibition mainly focuses on Xu Beihong’s collection of Qi Baishi’s artworks, in dialogue with the artworks of Qi Baishi and Xu Beihong in the collection of Beijing Academy of Fine Arts. The exhibition brings together over seventy sets of selective artworks from Xu Beihong Museum and Beijing Academy of Fine Arts. It also displays relevant artworks, scholar articles, and the archives of letters and memos between the two masters as records to chronologically outline their friendship. The exhibition offers scholars and visitors an extraordinary opportunity to understand Xu and Qi’s artistic features as well as their exchange of artistic ideas.