Guangdong Art Exhibition Brings A Century of Renewal to Shanghai

A sweeping exhibition chronicling 100 years of artistic innovation from Guangdong Province opened on Saturday at the Shanghai Art Museum (China Art Palace) in Pudong, spotlighting the convergence of the southern region's reformist ethos with Shanghai's iconic haipai (Shanghai-style) culture.

Titled "Reform Mission: Guangdong Art Centennial Exhibition," the showcase serves as a signature event of the 24th Shanghai International Arts Festival and the inaugural Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) Cultural Week.

It will remain open to the public through January 18, 2026, featuring over 800 masterworks that bridge regional gaps, temporal boundaries, and cultural divides to map the evolution of southern China's art scene.

The exhibition's Chinese name, "Qi Ming Wei Xin" (literally "renewal is the destiny"), is drawn from the ancient Chinese classic The Book of Songs. This phrase encapsulates the core spirit of Guangdong's art community – grounded in tradition yet perpetually pushing for reinvention, according to Wang Shaoqiang, curator of the Guangdong Museum of Art, one of the exhibition's co-organizers.

Beyond its contemporary significance, the Shanghai debut carries deep historical resonance.

In 1932, Gao Jianfu (1879-1951), a founding figure of the Lingnan School – a revered art tradition rooted in Guangdong – created his groundbreaking painting "Flames on the Eastern Battlefield" in Shanghai.

The masterpiece merged Chinese ink traditions with Western realism to confront modern realities. That act of artistic reform helped ignite China's modern art movement.

"Shanghai was once the starting point of the Lingnan School's artistic reform. Today, it's where we reconnect these creative spirits," said Wang. "This exhibition shows how Guangdong's art continues to evolve, absorb, and inspire."

The Lingnan School itself is defined by its "fusion of Chinese and Western art" and its commitment to reflecting contemporary life, a ethos that mirrors Shanghai's haipai culture, celebrated for its cosmopolitan openness and innovative spirit.

The exhibition thus becomes a meeting point of two reformist forces: Lingnan's regional daring and Haipai's urban modernity, according to Wang.

Spanning more than 20,000 square meters, the exhibition guides visitors through seven major chapters, tracing Guangdong art's century-long journey: from early oil painters who "rode the waves" of Western influence to the woodcut artists of the 1930s, and the reform-era innovators who brought a new openness to Chinese modernism.

The exhibition culminates in a display of contemporary art, where the boundaries between East and West, tradition and experimentation, dissolve into intertwined creative currents.

Some of the highlighted artworks

Highlighted exhibits include Gao Jianfu's "Flames on the Eastern Battlefield" (1932), a modernist masterpiece commemorating the Battle of Shanghai during China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-1945).

Chen Shuren's "Crows over the Great Wall" (1929) infuses national sentiment into classical landscape form. Hu Yichuan's woodcut To the Front (1933) and Huang Xinbo's Genesis (1979), reflect Guangdong's revolutionary conscience.

One of the exhibition's most captivating works is "Maid in Blue Robe," a Chinese ink painting created by Lin Fengmian in the 1960s.

Lin, a pioneering figure of modern Chinese art, redefined traditional brush-and-ink painting through a modernist lens. In this piece, his signature style blends the vibrant colors of Fauvism and the structural geometry of Cubism with the lyrical simplicity of Chinese folk aesthetics.

Beyond static displays, the exhibition integrates multimedia installations, immersive lighting, and archival corridors that map key milestones in Guangdong art history.

Furthermore, the "Lingnan Culture Masters Lecture Hall" will feature 12 sessions with leading scholars to unpack the region's artistic legacy. The "Lingnan Meets Haipai" education series will invite visitors to participate in hands-on activities like printmaking, painting puzzles, and art stamping.

The landmark exhibition reflects a broader collaboration between Guangdong and Shanghai – between the Greater Bay Area and the Yangtze River Delta – in building a shared cultural future, according to the organizers.

If you go

Exhibition: Reform Mission: Guangdong Art Centennial Exhibition

Dates: October 18, 2025-January 18, 2026

Venue: Shanghai Art Museum (China Art Palace)

Address: 205 Shangnan Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai 上南路205号

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9am- 6pm (last entry at 5pm)

Closed: Mondays (except public holidays)

Admission: Free entry (check official WeChat "中华艺术宫" for event registration)