Now that Beijing is getting warmer, come out and explore the life of 19th century China! Take a glimpse into the lives of everyday people back then from behind the camera lens. This is just one of the many family-friendly art exhibitions on display in Beijing’s creative spaces this month.
Sackler Museum of Art at Peking University, until Mar 15
Sackler Museum of Art and Archaeology at Peking University is located in the West Gate of the university campus, covering an area of 2,000 square meters with a high-quality collection. This exhibition encapsulates centuries of art, presenting the charm of Western printmaking from multiple perspectives.
Free. 9am-5pm (Only weekends for off-campus visitors). West Gate of Peking University, No. 5, Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District. 北京海淀区颐和园路5号北京大学西门内
Exhibition of Chinese and French handicrafts, until Mar 17
More than 180 pieces (sets) of works are on display, including ceramics, glass, metalwork, leather, shadow puppet, feathers, folding fans, and folding umbrellas. Taking the contemporary reinvention of traditional handicrafts in China and France as its theme, the exhibition powerfully illustrates the artisanal spirit in the contemporary era.
RMB 30. 9am-5pm (closed on Mondays). National Museum of Beijing, No. 16 E Chang’an Street, Dongcheng District 东城区东长安街16号
Americans Abroad: Landscape and Artistic Exchange, until Mar 17
In this exhibition, the works of 50 American artists who traveled to Europe in the 19th century are divided into four categories: Landscape and national identity; Tourists, students and foreigners; American artists and French Impressionists; and Epilogue: Modern landscape. These works show the influence of British, Dutch, German, French and Italian art on American landscape painting.
RMB 20. 9am-5pm. Exhibition Hall 7 /14, 4th Floor, Tsinghua University Art Museum, Tsinghua University, No.30 Shuangqing Lu, Haidian District. 清华大学艺术博物馆四层7, 14号展厅.
“Hidden World” Art Photography Exhibition, until Mar 21
Through light, color, space and other senses, this exhibition aims to transport the audience into the “hidden world”. The audience become participants and re-creators, free to choose different angles to achieve full integration.
RMB 98 (weekdays), RMB 128 (weekends). 10am-7pm. D10 Zhuoyue Art Center, 798 Art Zone, No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang District. 朝阳区酒仙桥路4号798艺术区D10卓越艺术中心
Silesia Rediviva: The Baroque period in Silesia, until Mar 24
The exhibition displays distinctive paintings and sculptures from the Baroque era in Silesia to share the region’s great artistic accomplishments and cultural creations of the second half of the 17th century, presenting us with an epitome of European art from the period.
Free. 9am-5pm (closed on Mondays). Capital Museum of Beijing, No.16 Fuxingmenwai Street, Xicheng District 北京市西城区复兴门外大街16号
Vision and Reflection: Photographs of China in the 19th Century from the Loewentheil Collection, until Mar 31
The exhibition brings together 120 selected works by leading figures in Chinese photography in the 19th century, including the first group of visiting photographers and China’s earliest masters. Each picture shown here is a pinnacle of the art of photography, a masterpiece worth studying. The exhibition showcases the architecture of China’s historic cities, ancient monuments, the faces of Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and the legendary beauty of China from rivers to mountains, from the Great Wall to the Forbidden City.
RMB 20. 9am-5pm. Tsinghua University Art Museum, Tsinghua University, No.30 Shuangqing Lu, Haidian District. 清华大学艺术博物馆.
I Was Born Free: 60 Years of Liu Shaohui’s Art, until May 5
The exhibition presents a complete retrospective of Liu Shaohui’s 60-year art career. Since entering the Central Academy of Fine Arts in the early 1960s, he has been pursuing the idea of “Grand Art”. Although his early artworks were mostly figurative, which reflected the comprehensive art education mode at that time, Liu Shaohui has broken through the barriers to combining contemporary art and folk art, along with influences from Eastern and Western culture.
RMB 20. 9am-5pm. F1, Tsinghua University Art Museum, Tsinghua University, No.30 Shuangqing Lu, Haidian District. 清华大学艺术博物馆一层.
Qinghai in the Belt and Road, until Jun 30
Centering on the theme of “interpreting the splendors of China”, the exhibition takes Qinghai’s historical development as its guiding principle and starts from the perspective of farming and nomadism. It shows the unique features of Qinghai due to its geographical position, and the historic melting pot of cultures in Qinghai which continues to this day under the banner of “One Belt, One Road”.
Free. 9am-5pm (closed on Mondays). Capital Museum of Beijing, No.16 Fuxingmenwai Street, Xicheng District 北京市西城区复兴门外大街16号
Photos: courtesy of event organizers
