"The China Mirror" Unit
"The China Mirror" presents the "China" in the hearts of four foreign artists through their eyes. These works are not curiosity-driven captures of oriental charm by outsiders, but rather profound observations and sincere expressions by the artists on this ancient yet rapidly changing land of China, leveraging their unique cultural backgrounds, artistic languages, and individual perceptions. They are "China images" reflected through "foreign eyes," forming another dimension in this exhibition that echoes with "International Art Treasures."
In the face of China's social reality, humanistic landscapes, and spiritual core, the works of these four artists—Chiyo Yasaki, Agnès Varda, Marc Riboud, and Hiroji Kubota—have become precious samples for exploring how the "perspective of the other" understands, interprets, and even reconstructs the complex cultural image of "China." Their gaze goes beyond simple landscape depiction and photography, delving deeper into the exploration of cultural textures, social pulses, historical accumulations, and contemporary transformations. With their keen perception and personalized artistic techniques, the artists have transformed the image of China into a unique chapter in their artistic language. This process of transformation itself contains rich cultural collisions, understandings, and dialogues.
The "China Mirror" unit offers a "from the outside in" cultural gaze, inviting audience friends to temporarily step out of their accustomed local perspectives and try to re-examine the China they are familiar with or think they are familiar with through the lenses and drawing papers of others. This reflection of the "mirror" is not only the result of individual creations by foreign artists, but also the product of cultural exchanges and interactions between China and foreign countries. It reveals the two-way nature of cultural exchanges: when China is regarded as an object, the influence of its culture, the complexity of its image, and its open attitude towards the external world are all clearly visible.
This recommendation — Marc Riboud
Marc Riboud (1923–2016) was a renowned French photographer, famous for his humanistic care, keen observation, and poetic lens language. His photographic style combines documentary and lyrical elements, excelling at capturing emotions and tensions in everyday moments. He joined Magnum Photos in 1953 and was the first Western photographer permitted to enter China for shooting in the 1950s.
At the end of December 1956, Marc Riboud arrived in Hong Kong. On January 1, 1957, he traveled from Hong Kong to Beijing, starting a three-month journey that took him to many cities and villages including the Northeast China, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chongqing, and Lanzhou. This visit left him with rich image records and marked the beginning of his decades-long journey in China. He came to China more than 20 times, capturing numerous moments full of the spirit of the times, leaving a large number of precious images, and witnessing the profound transformation and tremendous changes of Chinese society.
In 2010, after holding a photography retrospective exhibition in Shanghai, Marc Riboud donated some of his important works to CAFA Art Museum. From March 6 to April 2, 2010, CAFA Art Museum held "Fleeting Moments of Intuition: Marc Riboud Photography Retrospective Exhibition", which centered on his documentary works shot in China over nearly half a century, and focused on presenting the rich figures, landscapes and social scenes captured through his lens.
"Beijing 1957" by Marc Riboud
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Beijing 1957, Marc Riboud, 1957, 50×40cm, Gelatin Silver Print, Collection of CAFA Art Museum
"Beijing 1957" by Marc Riboud
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Beijing 1957, Marc Riboud, 1957, 50×40cm, Gelatin Silver Print, Collection of CAFA Art Museum
"Yan'an 1965" by Marc Riboud
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Yan'an 1965, Marc Riboud, 1965, 40×50cm, Gelatin Silver Print, Collection of CAFA Art Museum
"Shanghai 1971" by Marc Riboud
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Shanghai 1971, Marc Riboud, 1971, 50×40cm, Gelatin Silver Print, Collection of CAFA Art Museum
The CAFA Art Museum has a collection of 30 works by Marc Riboud, some of which are also on display in the "International Art Treasures" unit of this exhibition.
"International Art Treasures" Unit
The international art collection of CAFA Art Museum has formed a unique cross-cultural narrative through its diverse sources and profound historical accumulation. Original 19th-century European oil paintings and their original frames were transferred to the collection through institutional allocation in the 1930s and 1950s. Initially collected for teaching and research purposes, these works, though mostly created by anonymous painters, cover a wide range of themes—from still lifes of flowers, urban life to labor scenes—presenting the true features of the times. They have become material examples for studying 19th-century art, among which Gustave Courbet's Head of a Woman is an outstanding treasure.
The diverse collection of prints bears the imprint of socialist art exchanges. Wang Manshu, once Vice President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, brought back prints created by teachers and students from the Kyiv State Academy of Fine Arts in Ukraine. The woodcut and copperplate techniques employed in these works integrate socialist themes with national customs and history. Meanwhile, Wu Biduan, former Director of the Printmaking Department, systematically collected 56 prints during his study in the Soviet Union, including works personally gifted by renowned artists such as Nikolai Nevrev, as well as precious cultural relics like exercises by his classmates.
The global expansion during the new museum period has enriched the collection categories, ranging from a large number of international photography collections to paintings, sculptures, installations, and videos. It includes the humanistic spirit embodied in classic photographic works such as Marc Riboud's Guns and Flowers, as well as The Gatherers by Chilean painter Roberto Matta, which integrates ink-wash painting with Latin American mural styles. This diversified collection not only engages in dialogue with the 19th-century European tradition but also constructs a dynamic archive of international visual culture. With 19th-century oil paintings as the "source", prints as the "vein", and contemporary expansions as the "current", these international art treasures in the collection are not only fragments of art history but also practical testimonies of our participation in international art exchanges through collection, research, and transformation.
"The Painter on the Eiffel Tower" by Marc Riboud
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The Painter on the Eiffel Tower, France, Paris, Marc Riboud, 1953, 60×50cm, Gelatin Silver Print, Collection of CAFAM
"Afghanistan" by Marc Riboud
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Afghanistan, Marc Riboud, 1955, 40×50cm, Gelatin Silver Print, Collection of CAFA Art Museum
"Guns and Flowers" by Marc Riboud
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Guns and Flowers, USA, Washington D.C., Marc Riboud, 1967, 50×60cm, Gelatin Silver Print, Collection of CAFA Art Museum
"Bratislava" by Marc Riboud
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Bratislava, Slovakia, Marc Riboud, 1997, 50×60cm, Gelatin Silver Print, Collection of CAFA Art Museum
Related exhibitions.
From April 23 to June 6, 2010, the exhibition "Fleeting Moments of Intuition: A Retrospective of Marc Riboud's Photography" was held at CAFA Art Museum.
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Exhibition information.
2025 National Exhibition Season of Art Museums' Brilliant Collections Organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism
Interflowing Artscapes: CAFAM International Exchange Research Exhibition from the Collection
Organizer: CAFA Art Museum
Duration: July 18 - August 24, 2025
Venue: 3A & 3B Gallery, CAFA Art Museum
Chief Editor / He Yisha
Responsible Editor / duyinzhu
Editor / Zhu Jingyi
