Snapshot of Western art's evolution

A Pudong museum hosts exclusive showcase of famous works from a leading European institution, Zhang Kun reports.

Shanghai's Museum of Art Pudong is showcasing 70 paintings by some of the world's greatest artists. Titled The Greats of Six Centuries: Masterpieces from the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, the exhibition is the first all-painting showcase at the museum, as well as the first large-scale international exhibition of the Thyssen Museum, a relatively young institution established in 1992 in Madrid, Spain.

"The exhibition marks a further step in the Museum of Art Pudong's quest to become a new landmark in Shanghai's cultural scene, as well as a platform for international exchanges," says Li Minkun, chairman of the museum.

Ambassador of Spain to China Rafael Dezcallar said at the opening of the exhibition on June 22 that the showcase is part of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and Spain.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza collection consists of 775 paintings that provide an encyclopedic overview of Western art and feature most European styles from the 14th to 20th centuries as well as those from the United States.

According to Evelio Acevedo, managing director of the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, the 70 paintings "form a tableau of Western art from the Renaissance to postwar European and American art, allowing local audiences to see how life and society in the West have changed over the past 600 years".

Guillermo Solana, artistic director of the Thyssen Museum, said the museum and the Museum of Art Pudong are already discussing long-term collaborations and that more exhibitions in Shanghai are being planned.