Yixing Xu Beihong Memorial Hall

Yixing Xu Beihong Memorial Hall

The Yixing Xu Beihong Memorial Hall is located at No. 1 Gongyuan Road, Yixing City. Its foundation stone was laid on July 19, 1985, and it was officially opened to the public on October 26, 1988. Since the initial planning stages, the former Yixing County Government sent out letters to artists across the country to solicit calligraphy and painting works, receiving widespread responses and enthusiastic support. Notable donations included original artworks by Mr. Xu Beihong, which had been cherished in private collections for years and were generously given by individuals such as Li Anping, Chen Xiaonan, Shi Gongzai, Liu Ruli, and Zhou Yaogen. Many renowned artists, including Wu Zuoren, Li Keran, Yin Shoushi, Sun Qifeng, Guan Shanyue, Shen Roujian, Dai Ze, and Sha Menghai, also contributed their own works. By the time of the opening, the memorial hall had collected over 300 pieces of calligraphy and painting. Together with original Xu Beihong artworks provided by the Yixing Cultural Relics Management Committee and pieces from the former Xu Beihong Art Exhibition Hall, the memorial hall now houses a total of more than 500 works, encompassing traditional Chinese paintings, calligraphy, oil paintings, watercolors, prints, sculptures, paper-cuttings, and random-stitch embroidery.

Over the more than ten years since its opening, the Yixing Xu Beihong Memorial Hall has welcomed a large number of domestic and international visitors, as well as many party and government dignitaries and celebrities from various fields, such as -, -, -, Qian Weichang, Deng Liqun, Yu Zhaizhong, Fan Zeng, Liao Jingwen, Wang Xuezhong, Qian Shaowu, Qian Jun??⑽馇嘞嫉取?/p>

In addition to its permanent exhibitions, the memorial hall frequently organizes temporary art shows. In recent years, it has hosted over 100 exhibitions, including the "Xu Beihong Original Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition," "Folk Art Oil Painting Exhibition of Xu Beihong’s Hometown," "New Year Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition by Members of the Xu Beihong Art Research Association," "Li Qimao Painting Exhibition," "Zhang Jixin Painting Exhibition," "Zhao Lengyue, Fan Yang, and Wu Guannan Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition," and "Posthumous Traditional Chinese Painting Exhibition by Li Weiqing." These events have had a broad social impact.

Xu Beihong (1895–1953), of Han ethnicity, was originally named Xu Shoukang and was born in Qiting Town, Yixing City, Jiangsu Province. He was a modern Chinese painter and art educator. He studied Western painting in France and, after returning to China, dedicated himself to art education for many years, teaching at the Art Department of the National Central University, the Art College of Peking University, and the Peking Art Academy. After 1949, he served as president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Xu specialized in figure painting, animals, and flowers and birds, advocating realism. He held Ren Bonian in high esteem among traditional artists and emphasized incorporating Western painting techniques into the reform of Chinese painting. His works focused on light, form, and accurate depiction of anatomical structure and skeletal details... More information about Xu Beihong ++