WHAT
Both born in the 1930s, one artist is from Ninghe, Hebei Province; while the other is from Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Having met at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, they fell in love with each other. As the first generation of artists in New China, they specialised in ink paintings and created a series of classic figure paintings with skillful realism techniques. Their artistic explorations and visual language resolved the complex problem of how traditional figures respond to the demands of the times, society, and people for art, especially during a period of transformation and rapid change in China.

WHY
Collected by the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts, over 80 representative pieces by the two artists spanning four decades (from 1963 to 2003) are presented. Audiences will surely be touched and inspired by their contribution to modern ink paintings, as well as their resolve, determination, and courage for change during a period of uncertainty in China.