On October 1, “An Art Exhibition to Commemorate the 120th anniversary Of Zhang Shuqi's Birth” was opened in S8 Exhibition Hall of NMC. The exhibition displayed 85 exquisite paintings finished by Zhang Shuqi in different periods, one set of Feather Collection picture copybooks, several precious video clips about painting and more than 30 auxiliary exhibits.

Zhang Shuqi, a famous Chinese artist who lived in the US, was born in Pujiang, Zhejiang Province, in 1900. He spent his lifetime creating and studying bird-and-flower painting. Zhang, together with Xu Beihong and Liu Zigu, was called “Three Masters of Jinling”. The exhibition was divided into three units: “One Master in Exploration of Art in the Painting Circle”, “A Cultural Envoy Publicizing the Cause of Art” and “A Good Teacher and Helpful Friend Exerting Kindly Influence”. They made a systematic review of Zhang Shuqi’s unique experiences of art and remarkable accomplishments in art, commending the life pursuit and patriotism.

As a master of flower-and-bird painting, Zhang Shuqi absorbed the strong points of his peers and integrated the advantage of sketches in western paintings in his exploration of painting, and formed an ingeniously natural style appealing to both refined and popular tastes. In terms of color, He was adept at using white pigments, and could create five variations in tonality by varying the density of his ink.. As a cultural envoy, he went to North America to promote China’s art and made remarkable contributions to helping the people in North America understand Chinese culture and China's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. As an educator in fine arts, he cultivated a large number of talents in fine arts. He donated his income to the motherland for developing education when he was in the US. Besides that, he spared no effort in supporting China's War of Resistance Against Japan in wartime.

Zhang Shaoshu, son of Zhang Shuqi, donated the picture copybooks of Feather Collection, which were the last work of Zhang Shuqi before his death. He also donated Shuqi’s masterpieces titled Peacock and Chicken to the National Museum of China on behalf of his family members. This action is a reflection of their patriotic minds..

This exhibition was organized by the National Museum of China in collaboration with Zhejiang Art Gallery and Pujiang Art Gallery. It is expected to run for two months.