Like spring rain for artistic souls(2)

The Couple of Zhao Defu, 148.5/80 cm, ink and water, by Ren Bonian in 1885.

"From the perspective of art history, Refugees is one of the classics of 20th century Chinese painting. It is not overstated at all to call it a treasure of NAMOC," says Yang Lizhou, the museum's former director and an ink-and-water painter himself.

In 1996, the museum received its most significant contribution of Western modern art. The Ludwigs, German industrialists and collectors, donated 117 works of 82 Western artists, including four of Picasso's paintings.

Meanwhile, Liang, the deputy director, reveals that the family of photographer Lang Jingshan intends to donate his works, which will boost NAMOC's collection in an area where it could be considered weak.

For NAMOC Director Fan Di'an, in addition to improving storage, the museum needs to build an exhibition structure to show off China's modern art values to the world, especially artists like Qi Baishi and Xu Beihong. To attain this goal further academic research is required so that it can become a truly world-class museum.

"We're committed to leading the audience into an in-depth reading of the history," Fan says. "Only when we invest a lot in research about our collections can we curate novel shows and tell good stories."

Fan says museums should raise new issues and look at the development of Chinese art in the past 100 years from new angles. For example, he says, curators in the current exhibition have dedicated an entire section to the exploration of Chinese oil painters in the 1940s and their visits to West China.

Fan admits NAMOC doesn't attend to the dynamics of contemporary art enough.

NAMOC experienced a "golden age" of development in the first few years after reform and opening-up. It displayed a pioneering spirit by introducing modern art to Chinese audiences, for instance, by exhibiting Picasso's and Robert Rauschenberg's works in the early 1980s.

"The art community then had a thirst for seeing the world. The exhibitions fulfilled such a strong desire and eased people's doubts about fine art," Fan says.

The museum also played a vanguard role in supporting contemporary art movements. It held the Star Exhibition in 1979 and the China Avant-Garde Art Exhibition in 1989, which became social sensations and provoked controversies.