FollowHoping to see something other than smog in China’s capital? Xinhua News examines Beijing’s vibrant art scene.
In October 2013, the English section of Xinhua News listed the top ten contemporary art spaces in Beijing.
China Millennium Monument. Image courtesy of China Millenium Monument.
On 14 October 2013, China’s Xinhua news network published a list of the top ten art spaces in Beijing that feature Chinese contemporary art. Beijing is not only China’s political and economic centre, notes Xinhua, but the city also holds its own culturally, housing hundreds of galleries, art centres and museums.
National Art Museum of China. Image courtesy the National Art Museum of China.
The following ten art sites vary in size and mission, but all exhibit noteworthy Chinese art.
- Yan-Huang Art Museum. Located at Yayuncun (the Asian Games Village), Yan-Huang Art Museum is Beijing’s first large modern art gallery, with a collection consisting of contemporary Chinese paintings, calligraphy and cultural relics.
- Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA), located in the 798 Art District, is Beijing’s first private art institution founded by Europeans. The 5000-square-metre space focuses on contemporary art in China.
- Today Art Museum, founded in 2002, focuses on boosting the development of China’s contemporary art. Besides hosting exhibitions, the museum also publishes books and magazines.
- The Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) Art Museum. Established in 1953, CAFA Art Museum contains more than 13,000 pieces of art by numerous Chinese masters and contemporary artists.
- China Millennium Monument, located on West Chang’an Street, is the first national non-profit cultural institution focusing on collecting, exhibiting and researching artworks.
- Han Meilin Art Gallery features the art of China’s famous artist Han Meilin. The 10,000 square metre space has more than 2000 works, including paintings, calligraphy, sculptures and folk craft.
- The National Art Museum of China, in Dongcheng District, has a collection of more than 100,000 works of Modern art and Chinese folk art.
- The Capital Museum, measuring more than 60,000 square metres, is second only to the National Museum of China in terms of size and has over 5000 art objects on display.
- National Museum of China, located near Tian’anmen Square, was established in 2003. It is one of the biggest museums in the world with over one million cultural and art objects such as bronze and jade artifacts, ceramics, paintings and calligraphy.
- Museum of Contemporary Art Beijing (MOCA), located in Daxing Village of Songzhuang Town, exhibits sculpture and works by emerging artists.
National Museum of China. Image courtesy National Museum of China.
What do you think of Xinhua’s picks for the top ten Beijing art spaces? Are there any you can add to the list? Add your ideas in the comments box below.
Susan Kendzulak
Related Topics: art venues in Beijing, Chinese artists, art districts, museums, lists
Related Posts:
- China’s quiet cultural revolution: A guide to 4 art districts – September 2013 – world-renowned architects continue to build new museums, art centres and districts in China
- 43,000 more museums? Gao Peng on China’s museum challenge – interview – July 2013 – Today Art Museum’s Director talks about the “museumification” of China
- Development crisis for Beijing’s 798 art district? – November 2012 – Founder and Manager of Beijing’s 798 Art District revelas art hub problems
- China art museum growth drives collection building – Asia Society video – October 2012 – Director of Asia Society talks about China’s museum growth and its focus on collection building
- 3 Asian contemporary art museums make Flavorpill worldwide top ten list – September 2011 – Flavorpill gives a top ten list of contemporary art museums, UCCA being one out of three located in Asia
Subscribe to Art Radar for more on China’s contemporary art scene