On November 5, the exhibition titled “Forms of the People: The Artistic Path of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University,” part of the academy’s anniversary series, officially opened at the Tsinghua University Art Museum.
Distinguished attendees at the opening ceremony included Zhu Di, Vice Chairman and Secretary of the Secretariat of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles; Guo Yong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Tsinghua University; Zhu Hongzi, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Artists Association and Level I Bureau Rank Official; Wu Hongliang, President of the Beijing Fine Art Academy and Director of its Art Museum; Zhang Xiaoling, Dean of the School of Fine Arts at East China Normal University; experts and scholars from supporting institutions and universities; senior officials and faculty representatives from the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University; as well as representatives of artists’ families. The ceremony was hosted by Wang Xiaomo, Vice Dean of the Academy of Arts & Design.
Images from the Opening Ceremony
Opening Ceremony Highlights
Qin Chuan (left) and Lu Xiaobo (right) delivering speeches
Huang Zongxian (left) and Yu Yang (right) delivering speeches
Hang Jian (left) speaking and Wang Xiaomo (right) hosting
Guo Yong officially announced the opening of the exhibition. He emphasized that Tsinghua University has long recognized the vital role of the arts in national development and talent cultivation. Since its inception, the Academy of Arts & Design has kept pace with the times, integrating artistic ideals with national missions to compose a significant chapter in the narrative of modern Chinese art through what they call the “Forms of the People.” The university pledged to continue supporting the academy and the art museum in deepening the linkage between artistic creation and social practice, contributing further to promoting cultural confidence, self-improvement, and the construction of national culture.
Qin Chuan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the Academy of Arts & Design and chief curator of the exhibition, remarked that the “Forms of the people” embodies not only the artistic spirit pursued by generations of artists and educators but also vividly personifies the academy’s educational philosophy: “Design for people’s lives, create for the nation’s future.”
Lu Xiaobo, Director of the Tsinghua University Art Museum and Senior Professor of Humanities, commented that this exhibition encapsulates the 69-year commitment of Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (formerly the Central Academy of Arts & Design) to China’s modern aesthetic education and national aesthetic cultivation.
Guest speaker Huang Zongxian, Academic Dean of the School of Arts at Sichuan University, applauded the exhibition for demonstrating the academy’s distinct role and value within the framework of contemporary Chinese art.
Yu Yang, Director of the Research Department at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, noted that this exhibition allows deeper understanding of the contributions of “broad arts” education to society, inviting renewed reflection on the mission of artistic creation in fulfilling the people’s growing aspiration for a better life, and clarifying the meaning of “beauty” and the value of art.
Hang Jian, Humanities Chair Professor at Tsinghua University and chief curator of the exhibition, explored the exhibition’s profound implications for the historiography of Chinese art.
Wang Xiaomo introduced the exhibition’s fundamental information and structure.
Exhibition Overview
The exhibition features 103 works and 163 sets of archival materials, divided into two main sections: “The Form of the People and Artistic Creation” and “The Form of the People and National Visual Expression.” Through paintings, documents, and information visualization timelines, the exhibition traces how the academy’s esteemed masters have guided decorative arts through different eras, and highlights the academy’s scholarly and social contributions to “people’s art.”
The exhibition will be open until March 1, 2026.
Source: Tsinghua University News Network
Exhibition scenes and visitor photos
Information provided by: Exhibition Project Team
Selected images courtesy of: Liang Qin
