With National Day and a hot holiday here, temperatures as high as 34 degrees Celsius shall see some seek indoor, air-conditioned options for the break. What better than the works of some of the greatest artists from the 19th to 21st centuries?
A ¥6.8 million painting greets as one enters the Baijia Hu Art Museum to visit “Homage to Masters”, which opened its doors on 28 September.
The work, Zhang Xiaogang’s “Girl” (女孩) from 2006-2007, sets the tone for the exhibition’s first floor. Comprising Chinese contemporary art, this first, admittedly rather limited collection includes Nanjing success story, Mao Yan, with “Portrait of Thomas, 2011, No. 1” (托马斯肖像2011.NO.1), with an asking price of ¥3.5 million.
Interested readers can learn more about Mao’s journey with his favourite subject, Thomas, an exchange student from Luxembourg, in our art column on The Nanjinger website.
On the other hand, there is nothing limited about upstairs on the second floor. Here, a cacophony of western contemporary and classical art are banded together in an overpowering assault on the visual sense.
While all undoubtedly worth a look, the true masters, however, are reserved a special place, behind red curtains. The Nanjinger had to ask, so you don’t.
Herein, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Willem De Kooning, Paul Gauguin, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Ryckaert III and Charles-Andre van Loo. And they are just for starters.
Plus Claud Monet. As only one work on display by the 19th century impressionist master (although The Nanjinger was told there is another in the collection), “Red Mullets” (1869) gets an entire wall to itself and is valued at ¥2 million.
For those motivated only by money, also asking for big bucks are pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat (¥5 million), Marc Chagall (¥3 million) and Andy Warhol (¥1.5 million).
Further up, the third floor is home to classical Chinese art and calligraphy, with the latter being the exhibition’s largest collection. Herein also some additional, lesser-known contemporary art.
“Homage to Masters” is open from 10:00-16.30 until 10 December; closed Mondays. Entry is ¥50; children under 1.2 metres tall are free, as are the over 75s. Half price entry for children between 1.2 and 1.4m. The Baijia Hu Art Museum is located at 33 Liyuan Zhong Lu in Jiangning District.
