National Art Museum of China

The National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) is a national museum dedicated to the collection, research and exhibitions of modern and contemporary artistic works in China. In June 1963, Chairman Mao Zedong inscribed the Chinese-language title board of the museum, which demonstrated its position as a national art museum and the nature of its establishment. The main building features the styles of ancient Chinese attics and ethnic architecture, which is roofed with yellow glazed tiles and surrounded by corridors and pavilions.

The building covers an area of more than 2,000 square meters with 17 exhibition halls from the first floor to the fifth. The museum boasts an exhibition area of 8,300 square meters and a length of 2,110 meters. Nine halls on the first floor cover an area of 5,100 square meters and a length of 1,400 meters; five halls on the third floor have an area of 2,000 square meters and a length of 429 meters, and three halls on the fifth floor cover an area of 1,200 square meters and a length of 235 meters. A modern storeroom founded in 1995 covers an area of 4,100 square meters.

The museum houses more than 100,000 pieces of various collections, most of which are creations around the establishment of new China. Some collections are masterpieces from the late Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. Most collections are modern and contemporary works, including masterpieces of renowned contemporary Chinese artists, award-winning works from major art exhibitions, and various folk works. Included are such painters as Ren Bonian, Wu Changshuo, Huang Binhong, Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, Jiang Zhaohe, Situ Qiao, Li Keran, Wu Zuoren, Ye Qianyu, Luo Gongliu and Wu Guanzhong. The collections created by Qi Baishi alone numbers 410 pieces. The museum also collects hundreds of foreign artistic works. German collectors Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ludwig donated 117 pieces of foreign works in 1999, including four oil paintings by Picasso.

Its main construction is the modern constructions imitating the ancient attic style. Its top is decorated by the yellow glazed tiles. There are the corridors and pavilions around. It is filled with the distinctive nationality construction style. The museum can be divided to three levels as the upper, middle and lower level respectively.

  There are totally 13 exhibition halls in the museum, and the three collective anti-ultraviolet radiation colored fluorescent lamps are illuminating on the halls. The acreage of the round hall is 480 square meters that is suited for hanging the large-sized art works. The acreages of the east and west side halls in the first floor are 470 square meters respectively that are equipped with large glass exhibition cabinets. While each of the four corner halls cover an area of 500 square meters; The exhibition places of the second and third floors are opposed to the main hall; The new painting collecting storeroom occupies an area of 5,000 square meters.

The robust development of the museum benefits greatly from the support of the Central government and the direct leadership of the Ministry of Culture. The Central government established a special collection fund, which laid a solid foundation for the museum's collection of precious works. Quite a few collectors and artists donated their collections to the museum as an act of social responsibility and a strong belief in offering art to the masses, which provided rich resources for the collection. In recent years, the museum has constantly accepted ever-larger donations from such artists and collectors as Li Pingfan, Liu Xun.

Over the past four decades, the museum has held thousands of influential exhibitions of different kinds featuring renowned artists from home and abroad. Apart from influential domestic exhibitions, numerous international exhibitions are as follows: "Original Works Exhibition of 500 Years Collected by Armand Hammer", "Rural Landscape Painting Exhibition of the 19th Century in France", "Original Works Exhibition of Pablo Picasso", "Engraved Painting Exhibition of German Expressionism", "Art Exhibition of Auguste Rodin", "Art Exhibition of Marc Chagall", "Oriental Spirit: Art Exhibition of Joan Miro", "Collection Exhibition of Austrian National Museum", "Grand Exhibition of African Art", "Art Exhibition of Salvador Dali", "Painting Exhibition of French Impressionism",  "300 Years of Russian Arts--State-run Terichekov Fine Arts Museum Treasures Exhibition" (an important exhibition of "Year of Russia" in 2006), "Art in America 300 Years of Innovation", "Italian art- Italian life "(an important exhibition of "Year of Italy" in 2006) and "From Titian to Goya Masterpieces from the Prado Museum"(an important exhibition of "Year of Spain" in 2007). “The Lights of Dun Huang”, held in 2008, set three new records for the number of daily, monthly and singular visitors, attracting 660,000 visitors in two months. The museum has established itself as an important shrine of art bringing aesthetic education to the people.

In order to become a national modern museum with international standards, the museum began reconstruction of the main building in May 2002. A variety of facilities have achieved the national leading level after it was completed in May 2003, including exhibition halls, illumination, self-control, constant temperature and humidity, fire control and alarm, and security control system. The new museum has adopted new technology of modern construction, expanded the traditional pattern and enriched new connotations of the ethnic construction tradition. At its 40th anniversary on July 23, 2003, the museum reopened to the public and attracted great attention from artistic circles from home and abroad.  

In line with the request of the national cultural construction, the museum has gained recognition from the State Council in its expansion, which has been enlisted in the national 11th five-year plan and is in good preparation.

In the museum, there are fine arts works exhibiting & marketing hall and art works service department.

The art museum has collected more than 60,000 fine arts works in the modern times and from the folks. Its varieties include excellent works with different time features and different art styles like Chinese paintings, canvases, prints, sculptures, Spring Festival pictures, funnies, picture posters, pencil sketches, iconography, watercolor paintings, varnish paintings. It also includes the agrestic art works like puppets, shadow play works, paper-cuts, kites, mud toys, embroideries and so on.

The exhibition activities individual painting exhibitions, collective painting exhibitions, film exhibitions, calligraphy exhibitions, children's painting and folk fine works exhibitions are increased gradually.

In 1998, it held the International Fine Arts Year that won the high praise from all walks of life in society. The annual average visitors numbers is one million.