Master Guan Shanyue’s paintings of murals in the Mogao Caves and the landscape in Northwest China are on display at the “Camel Bells Beyond the Great Wall” exhibition at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum. Entry is free.

The Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, are brilliantly decorated with stucco sculptures and mural paintings, which are a magnificent treasure trove of Buddhist art. In the 1930s and 1940s, many Chinese painters, including Guan (1912-2000), Zhang Daqian (1899-1983) and Wu Zuoren (1908-1997), arrived at the site to create paintings inspired by the murals, which elevated the Mogao artworks to national prominence.

“My father didn’t directly copy the murals on his paintings; instead he had his own understanding and rendition of the mural art,” said Guan Yi, Guan Shanyue’s daughter who is a professor at Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts.

“Northwest China was at a crossroad of the civilizations of East Asia, Central Asia, and the Western world. The endeavors made by those masters in the 1930s and 1940s in Northwest China pushed forward the modernization of Chinese fine arts,” said Chen Xiangbo, director of the Guan Shanyue Art Museum.

“The extraordinary trip to Northwest China gave master Guan a different visual experience. Although he was famous for his South China Lingnan-style paintings, the unique style of the Dunhuang murals, the magnificent Northwest China’s landscapes and the ethnic life scenes all have brought new vigor into Guan’s paintings,” Chen added.

Dates: Until June 26, 2021

Hours: 9 a.m.-noon, 2-4:30 p.m., closed Mondays

Booking: Follow the WeChat account “gsyart” and then follow the menu instructions

Venue: Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Futian District (福田区关山月美术馆)

Metro: Line 3 or 4 to Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit F(Cao Zhen)