The year 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of the founding of Guangdong Museum of Art. Since the inception, we’ve focused on our development in Guangdong province, paid attention to the domestic situation and strengthened international exchanges. We’ve endured great hardships and made the current achievements from scratch. With great respect for cultural history, we’ve developed independent academic integrity and collection orientation to fulfill the mission of preserving and propagating art and promoting the development of contemporary art. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the museum on November 28th, 2017, “Inheritance · Construction —Academic Forum in Celebration of 20th Anniversary of the Founding of the Guangdong Museum of Art” was held by Guangdong Museum of Art. Experts and scholars in art were invited to review the art history of Guangdong Province, discuss curation institution and cultural construction, and give suggestions on the future development of the museum. At the same day, “Inherit the Past and Usher in the Future—Exhibition of 20th Anniversary of the Founding of the Guangdong Museum of Art” was unveiled in the afternoon. In addition to the academic forum and exhibition, the staff canteen and café of the museum opened to the public on the same day. The bookstore of the museum will be reopened to the public after renovation.

 

The opening ceremony of the “Inherit the Past and Usher in the Future—Exhibition of 20th Anniversary of the Founding of the Guangdong Museum of Art” was chaired by Director Wang Shaoqiang of Guangdong Museum of Art and attended by the following distinguished guests: Director-General Wang Yiyang of Department of Culture of Guangdong Province, Mr. Xu Qinsong who’s Vice Chairman of China Artists Association, Chairman of Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles and President of Guangdong Art Institute, Mr. Li Jingkun who’s concurrently Vice Chairman of Guangdong Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Chairman of Guangdong Artists Association and President of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (GAFA), Deputy Director and Secretary-General Qian Linxiang of National Art Museum Committee of China, Deputy Director Zhang Qing of National Art Museum of China, famous artists Luo Zonghai, Wang Yujue, Liang Mingcheng, Liu Sifen, Chen Yongqiang, Pan Jiajun, Zhao Chiting, Xiao Yingchuan, Director Zhang Zikang of Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), art theorist and critic Pi Daojian, Director Cu Huiquan of Jiangsu Art Museum, Director Zhang Wang of Shandong Art Museum, Director Luo Jiang of Yunnan Art Gallery, Director Hua Jianguo of  He'nan Art Museum, Director Wei Jun of Guangdong Museum, Director Josh Yiu of Art Museum of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Mr. Wu Hongliang who’s Vice President and Director of Art Museum of Beijing Fine Art Academy, Vice Chairman Lin Lan of Guangdong Artists Association and GAFA, Deputy Director Wang Chunchen of CAFA Art Museum, Deputy Director Lin Bochun of Physical Culture Hygiene and Arts Education Division of Department of Education of Guangdong Province, Executive Vice Chairman Wang Yong of Guangdong Artists Association, Deputy Director Liang Jiang of Art Theory Committee of China Artists Association, Mr. Luo Yiping who’s deputy director of National Art Museum Committee of China and former Director of Guangdong Museum of Art, Mr. Guo Runwen who’s executive deputy director of Oil Painting School of China National Academy of Painting and professor of GAFA, Mr. Liang Yu who’s concurrently Vice Chairman of Guangdong Artists Association and member of the Party Leading Group and Executive Vice Chairman of Shenzhen Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Mr. Chen Xiangbo who’s concurrently Vice Chairman of Guangdong Artists Association and Director of Guan Shanyue Art Museum in Shenzhen, Mr. Fan Bo who’s Vice Chairman of Guangdong Artists Association and Director of Oil Painting Department of GAFA, Professor Sun Li of GAFA who’s also Vice Chairman of Guangdong Artists Association, Mr. Xu Zijing who’s currently a presidium member of Guangdong Artists Association and Chairman of Shantou Artists Association, Mr. He Junhua who’s  a presidium member of Guangdong Artists Association and Chairman of Guangdong Young Artists Association, Dean Lu Xiaogen of Guangzhou University Sontan College, Professor and Director Song Guangzhou of Personnel Division of GAFA, Professor and Director Cai Yonghua of Teaching Affairs Office of GAFA, Director Feng Yuan of Visual Culture Research Center of Sun Yat-sen University, Deputy Director Deng Jianjin of Oil Painting Department of GAFA, Vice Dean Xu Dunping of School of Traditional Chinese Painting of GAFA, Research Professor Zhu Wanzhang of National Museum of China, Director Wang Duanting of Foreign Art Research Office of Art Institute of Chinese National Academy of Arts, Director Yu Yang of Traditional Chinese Painting Office of CAFA, Director Xiang Liping of Exhibition Department of Power Station of Art, Director Chen Weian of Guangzhou Museum of Art, President Li Jianjun of Lingnan Fine Arts Publishing House, Director Zuo Zhengyao of UCity Art Museum of GAFA, Director Zhang Yanfang of Shenzhen Art Museum, Director Wang Changhuai of Jiangmen Museum of Art, Director Chen Zhaopeng of Guyuan Museum of Art, President Yan Yichun of Guangdong Lingnan Academy of Fine Arts, Director Li Qiongbo of Five-Three Art Museum in Guangzhou, Board Chairman Shen Yong of Kemulang Art Park, Vice President Huang Xinfa of Fangyuan Group, Director Liu Qian of Times Museum, and Manager Song Chen of K11 Art Foundation. 

 

On the same day of the founding of Guangdong Museum of Art, “Inheritance · Construction—Academic Forum in Celebration of 20th Anniversary of the Founding of the Guangdong Museum of Art” was held with the focus on two themes around the academic orientation and research priority of the museum. Around the first theme of “modern and contemporary Chinse art and Guangdong phenomenon”, heated discussions were held to explore the dialectical relationship between social progress and art creation. It’s hoped to establish a relatively complete logic in form and contents for the Guangdong art and make it an important contribution of Guangdong Museum of Art to the research of modern and contemporary Chinese art history. On the second theme of “contemporary curatorial mechanism and cultural construction”, in-depth discussions were held over how the art curation can make new transitions and integrations in terms of cultural standpoint, curatorial concept and curatorial mode in a bid to accurately interpret various art concepts and ideas, lead the culture of the era and convey correct values and concepts.

 

“Inherit the Past and Usher in the Future—Exhibition of 20th Anniversary of the Founding of the Guangdong Museum of Art” showcased representative works of some 60 artists in Guangdong Province since the founding of New China selected from the museum’s collection together with these artists’ recent works. In so doing, it’s hoped to sort out the language reforms and style shift along the journey of art creation, feel the artists’ pulses and changes of ideology in different times, and highlight Guangdong artists’ sense of responsibilities and spirit of independent thinking through the spiritual orientation, historical feelings and social concerns implied in their works. In addition, through the vertical sorting of art origins of these artists and horizontal comparison of these artists’ language explorations in different times, it’s hoped that the audience could feel the artistic evolutions in a real and concrete way from the rich and complex images. It aims to discuss the dialectical relationship between social progress and artistic creation, establish a relatively complete logic in form and contents for the Guangdong art, and make it an important contribution of Guangdong Museum of Art to the research of modern and contemporary Chinese art history.

 

Commenting on the growth and development of Guangdong Museum of Art, Wang Shaoqiang, Director of Guangdong Museum of Art and Vice Chairman of Guangdong Artists Association, said that the museum has followed the trend of the times and looked to the future. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary, the museum ushered in a brand new pattern and appearance. Looking back, with an open international perspective and a rigorous attitude towards art history, we’ve established influential academic views in a diversified academic atmosphere. We’ve made improvements in management concept and mode, theoretic research, leadership of local art creation, promotion of industrial development, and cultural education to the public, showing progresses to the satisfaction of the society and the public. To conclude, we’ve inherited the fine traditions and spirits since the inception of the museum and blazed a trail through numerous practices in research, collection, exhibition, education and promotion in line with the actual situation for the development of the Chinese art. 

 

Pi Daojian, the curator for the Exhibition, art theorist and critic, noted that making “Inherit the Past and Usher in the Future” the academic theme of “exhibition of fine art collections of the 20th Anniversary of the Founding of the Guangdong Museum of Art” shows the expectations for the potential development of Chinese art. Over the past two decades, Guangdong Museum of Art has witnessed the daily development of Guangdong art as a “key national art museum” of Guangdong Province. The exhibition of fine art collections over the past 20 years provides a serious and relatively complete coordinate system, presenting a “bird's-eye view” or “aerial photo” of the development of the local art in Guangdong Province.  Some of the collections featured in this exhibition symbolize the pattern and situation of Guangdong art. The work of Guangdong Museum of Art over the past 20 years since its inception has been a vivid picture of “inheriting the past and ushering in the future”.

Guangdong Museum of Art

Text/Picture: Wu Junxian  Liu Danni

November 29, 2017