To bring in excellent foreign exhibitions with an open international vision and to enhance worldwide influence of Chinese culture and art remains central to the goal of the NMC in conducting cultural communication and cooperation with international museums. Since 2018 the NMC has hosted altogether 12 international exchange exhibitions; specifically, it has brought in eight international exhibitions and staged four exhibitions abroad.
The exhibitions from abroad feature selected items from different countries, like “Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of October Revolution: Exhibition of October Revolution Cultural Relics from Russian National Museum of History” in 2018, “Academy and Salon: Exhibition of Precious Works from the Collections of the?Centre National?des?Arts?Plastiques (CNAP) and Ecole nationale supérieure des Beaux-arts de Paris”, “WONDER LAB: HEART & Crafts”, “The Power of Innovation: Patent Models from the United States of America” and “Old Masters: Australia’s Great Bark Artists”. The featured “Belt and Road” series of exhibitions include “Embracing the Orient and the Occident: When the Silk Road Meets the Renaissance”, “Silk Road Antiquities from Hirayama Ikuo Collection”, “Sharing a Common Future: Exhibition of Treasures from National Museums along the Silk Road” co-sponsored by 13 national museums in 2019, and “Jean Schlumberger:?Twentieth Century Treasures?from?the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts”.
From different historical and academic perspectives, these exhibitions conduct profound and fruitful discussions about the contrast, confluence and mutual influence of the Eastern and Western civilizations, which has received wide attention and favorable comment from all sectors of society. With the advancement of diverse undertakings and improvement of international status of China, the international exhibitions brought in by the NMC have played a significant role in supporting the national diplomacy and non-governmental goodwill activities, conducting international cultural exchanges, and meeting the people’s increasing needs for a better intellectual, cultural and material life.
In addition to bringing in exhibitions from overseas, the NMC staged more exhibitions abroad in 2018 than in any previous year, committed to spreading the long history and splendid culture and art of China through the exhibitions. The exhibition themed on “Tigers?in?East Asian Art:?Korea,?Japan,?China” was held in ROK and the “Exhibition of Painting and Living of Ancient Chinese Literati” was held in Serbia in 2018; and “The?Historical Expression of Chinese Art: Calligraphy and?Painting?from the NMC” was held in Australia and “Scholars’ Feelings: The Pursuit and Spiritual World of Ancient Chinese Scholar-officials” was held in Croatia in 2019. All the exhibitions were well received among the local audiences.