Former Site of the National Art Gallery

Former Site of the National Art Gallery

The Former Site of the National Art Gallery is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level.

The Former Site of the National Art Gallery is located at No. 266 Changjiang Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing. It is a cultural relic protection unit of Jiangsu Province and the predecessor of today’s Jiangsu Art Museum. Completed in 1936 as China’s first national art gallery, it marked the official beginning of China’s art gallery endeavors. In 1960, it was renamed the Jiangsu Art Museum and has retained that name to this day.

The National Art Gallery once hosted many influential exhibitions, including several National Art Exhibitions and major showcases of traditional Chinese painting, oil painting, and printmaking. The "Second National Art Exhibition" held in 1937, as seen in the Second National Art Exhibition Special Collection preserved at the Nanjing Library, featured an exceptionally prominent organizing and reviewing committee composed of highly esteemed artists, with participating artists submitting works of great significance. In terms of scale, no other art exhibition in the entire 20th century surpassed it.

On November 24, 2018, the Former Site of the National Art Gallery was included in the "Third Batch of China's 20th Century Architectural Heritage Projects." In October 2019, it was listed in the Eighth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

Historical Development

Shortly after the establishment of the Republic of China, many cultural figures such as Lu Xun and Cai Yuanpei began advocating for the creation of a national art gallery. Early art educators and renowned painters such as Xu Beihong, Liu Haisu, and Lin Fengmian also campaigned vigorously for the cause.

In March 1935, driven by strong public opinion, the Nationalist Government finally officially approved the proposal to establish the National Art Gallery and appointed a 19-member preparatory committee with prominent political figures including Yu Youren, Kong Xiangxi, Chen Lifu, Ju Zheng, Sun Fo, and Chu Minyi. The architectural design of the National Art Gallery was selected from 14 competing national submissions, combining the strengths of the first, second, and third prize-winning designs.

In November 1935, the foundation of the National Art Gallery was laid.

In August 1936, the National Art Gallery was completed.

In April 1937, the "Second National Art Exhibition" was held.

On December 13, 1937, due to the Japanese invasion and occupation of Nanjing, all art activities were halted.

In 1945, after the victory of the War of Resistance, the Nationalist Government was preoccupied with the civil war and faced extreme economic hardship, showing little interest in cultural development. As a result, the building remained largely neglected and was even repurposed for other uses for a time.

In 1949, after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government established the "Jiangsu Folk Arts and Crafts Exhibition Room" on the original site of the National Art Gallery in 1954, which opened to the public on October 1 of the same year.

In June 1956, preparations began for the "Jiangsu Art Gallery," gradually restoring the building’s intended social function.

In September 1960, the Jiangsu Art Gallery was officially renamed the "Jiangsu Art Museum." Its focus shifted to organizing art exhibitions, promoting artistic creation and cultural exchange. The museum established a creative studio dedicated to printmaking, comic strips, oil painting, and sculpture. From then on, it became an artistic hub for showcasing contemporary art achievements, advancing art accessibility, and providing aesthetic education. From the establishment of the Jiangsu Art Gallery in 1956 until the onset of the Cultural Revolution, over a decade saw more than 100 domestic and international art exhibitions, playing a significant role in talent cultivation and cultural exchange. The Jiangsu Art Museum not only made outstanding contributions to the prosperity of Jiangsu’s art scene but also laid a solid foundation for the development of China’s art gallery institutions.

The main building of the National Art Gallery has four floors and a "mountain"-shaped facade. Its exterior is simple, dignified, elegant, and generous in style—Western in design but incorporating elements of traditional Chinese architecture. It is one of the representative works of the new national form architectural style in Republican-era China. The main building of the art gallery and the adjacent "National Assembly Hall" to the west were designed and constructed together. This complementary architectural complex represents the artistic level of architecture during the Republican period.

The National Art Gallery covers a land area of 4,700 square meters, with a building area of 7,000 square meters. The exhibition space spans 2,400 square meters, including three large exhibition halls each measuring 550 square meters with 160 meters of display line, and four smaller halls each at 170 square meters with 35 meters of display line. The height of all display lines is 3.3 meters.

On October 7, 2019, the Former Site of the National Art Gallery was included in the Eighth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level.

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Cultural Relic Protection Units of Jiangsu Province

· Eighth Batch of Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level