Like spring rain for artistic souls(3)

Mosquetiere a i oiseau ("Musketeer with a Bird"), 146/114 cm, oil painting, by Picasso in 1971.

NAMOC today is more criticized for being too conservative and not giving contemporary art adequate exposure.

Fan responds that though contemporary art is very original it is still in a "nascent state" and many works haven't won academic recognition. For NAMOC, he says, the collection and display of contemporary art requires careful selection.

"We face the reality that we've lost the privilege of being a dominant art venue. We much appreciate the vigor of such art districts as 798 and Songzhuang village. But it doesn't mean we should adopt the same model."

He adds that as a national art museum NAMOC is responsible for serving the public's diversified art interests.

"It was quite natural that in the 1980s, museums helped promote art and served artists."

He says artists came from all corners of the country, enduring difficult rides on hard-seat trains for days, just to see an exhibition at NAMOC.

"Their excitement was unparalleled when seeing paintings of the Barbizon School, abstract art from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and works of Andy Warhol, Picasso and Rodin," he says.

Now people enjoy art via varied channels and artists often travel abroad. Meanwhile, there has been a boom in building art museums across the country. Fan says he has visited many of them, which are well designed and feature modern and creative works.

"But there is often no audience and it's a total waste of resources. So I often ponder the question, how can today's art museums better cater to the audience?"

The answer may lie in the design of NAMOC's new venue, near the Bird's Nest, or Beijing National Stadium.

"The museum no longer centers on exhibitions. It will have a collection and preservation system, provide digital art information, offer public services such as a library and art education programs," Fan says.

"It will act like 'a spring rain that waters things in silence', that is, to touch upon people's hearts and souls and transmit culture."