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French artists show works in China
2019-11-15 
A plaster work by French sculptor James Pradier (1790-1852) is on show at Shanghai Museum through Feb 9.[Photo provided to China Daily]

An exhibition by the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beauxarts de Paris at Shanghai Museum has been drawing crowds of visitors since its opening on Nov 5, with most people having to wait up to 30 minutes before entering.

Titled The Birth of Fine Arts: From the Great Century to the Revolution, the exhibition brings together works by some of the most prolific names in the history of French art, such as Nicolas Poussin, Jean-Honore Fragonard and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. According to the organizers, the exhibition aims to explore the process of development, prosperity and transformation of French art, particularly academic art. The exhibition runs through Feb 9.

For the exhibition, the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, also known as the National Higher School of Fine Arts in Paris, brought to China for the first time 85 paintings, sculptures and books from its collections and about 20 deposits from the Louvre.

A plaster work by French sculptor James Pradier (1790-1852) is on show at Shanghai Museum through Feb 9.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Besides the 85 paintings, sculptures, engravings and architecture models, a sketch from the collection of Shanghai Museum is also being displayed for the first time at the exhibition. The sketch, which portrays the back of a nude male, first appeared on the Chinese market in the early 20th century and was believed to be an authentic creation by Ingres.

The sketch changed hands several times before Chinese author and socialite Shao Xunmei rediscovered it in 1946 at an antique shop in New York and brought it back to China.

"It is a fine example of the style of the Ingres school. That's why the curator decided to include the piece in the exhibition," says Yang Zhigang, director of Shanghai Museum. "But more studies have to be done before we can reach any conclusion."

A plaster work by French sculptor James Pradier (1790-1852) is on show at Shanghai Museum through Feb 9.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The term Beaux-Arts was born in Europe in the 17th century and is closely related to the development of the Royal Academy, the predecessor of the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris, according to Patricia Stibbe, vice-president of the school.

As an educational institution, the school has a collection of artworks that have been "scattered on campus", Stibbe says. "They were placed in the classrooms, offices and studios, studied, observed and copied by the students every day."

A plaster work by French sculptor James Pradier (1790-1852) is on show at Shanghai Museum through Feb 9.[Photo provided to China Daily]

In the early 20th century, the first group of Chinese students joined the school and they later became some of China's most important artists. These individuals include Xu Beihong, Lin Fengmian, Pan Yuliang, Zao Wou-ki and Wu Guanzhong.

"We believe that the Chinese artists have appreciated these artworks, and spent their life on campus surrounded by them," Stibbe says.

A plaster work by French sculptor James Pradier (1790-1852) is on show at Shanghai Museum through Feb 9.[Photo provided to China Daily]

In 2015, the school presented its first exhibition in China, titled A Master and His Master, in Shanghai, juxtaposing the collections of the Xu Beihong Museum with artworks from Paris, marking the first direct confrontation of Chinese ink art and Western paintings, according to Philippe Cinquini, curator of the exhibition at Shanghai Museum.

The Beaux-Arts de Paris is located in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres section of Paris and remains a popular destination for Chinese students. Every year, the school receives about 100 applications from China, says Stibbe.

A plaster work by French sculptor James Pradier (1790-1852) is on show at Shanghai Museum through Feb 9.[Photo provided to China Daily]
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