Aiming to performing dual functions of introducing foreign art and promoting traditional Chinese art, the 18th Beijing International Art Fair (BIAF) will open at the Beijing Exhibition Centre starting Dec. 27 until 31, the Global Times reported.
Launched in 1998, the international art fair adds a dash of artistic excitement to the Chinese capital for the holidays.
This year's BIAF is organized by the China National Academy of Painting and the Committee of Education, Science, Culture, Health, and Sports of the CPPCC.
The art fair will be divided into four sections that showcase traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy, sculpture, children's works in traditional Chinese art, as well as art from countries participating in the One Belt, One Road initiative.
Casual art lovers and enthusiasts will also get a chance to get a glimpse of rare and highly coveted artworks such as "Zhen Song Yong Mao," a series of paintings completed by some of China's most famous artists during the Republic of China period (1912-1949).
The album was put together in 1994 by renowned Chinese businessman Zhao Houfu for his mother's birthday. Paintings included in the album paint a general picture of the ideological, aesthetic and cultural standards of 1940s Shanghai. Some of the artists involved in the album include Qi Baishi, Huang Binhong and Qi Gong.
As for foreign art, BIAF will showcase works from Nepal and Russia, two countries that had profound effects in Chinese art.
Back in the 1950s, Chinese artists were greatly influenced by Russian oil paintings. Nepal, on the other hand, holds a position in the Chinese market for their Thangka or Buddhist paintings on cotton or silk.