Where to see contemporary art in Beijing – Xinhua’s Top 10 spots

by jay bautista on Oct 25, 2013 News | Comments Off on Where to see contemporary art in Beijing – Xinhua’s Top 10 spots

Hoping 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. The list features ten museums and galleries showcasing Chinese contemporary art.

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.

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.

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

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