From June 8 to July 28, 2018, Palazzo Medici Riccardi hosted the exhibition of Pang Maokun——“The Reality of the Past, curated by Antonio Natali (former director of Galleria Degli Uffizi). The exhibition is organised by the China National Academy of Painting together with the China Oil Painting Society, and Zhong Art International, with the collaboration of the Academy of the Arts of Drawing and the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence.
Palazzo Medici and the exhibition poster
Artist Pang Maokun was interviewed by the media
Pang Maokun is one of the most famous painters of Chinese contemporary art, he’s also the director of Fine Art at Sichuan Academy. As Pang Maokun’s first Florence solo exhibition, the curator chose 50 works of the artist under the theme of “The Reality of History”, and arranged a time and space trip among Pang Maokun's recent works based on the classic works of Western art history and the portraits of everyday people.Through the apposition of on-site works, the two main lines —— the thematic painting exploration of social reality and portrait performance with unique gaze perspective, that originally existed relatively and independently in Pang Maokun's artistic trace, have achieved an image dialogue and collision.
Ribbon cutting by guests at the opening ceremony
Fuguo Wang, Consul General of China in Florence, Gianni Zhang, Chairman of Zhong Art International, Eugenio Giani, President of the regional council of Tuscany, Benedetta Albanese Representative of the Mayor of Florence, Tommaso Sacchi, Councillor for Culture and International Relations of the City of Florence, Zangheri, Presidente Emerito of the Academy of the Arts of Drawing, Professor Rocca of the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, with other representatives attended the exhibition opening.
Speech by Wang Fuguo, Consul General of China in Florence
“Florence is a city of culture and history, its fusion of tradition and modernity coincides with the spirit of Pang Maokun's artworks, and the Italian friends who come to the exhibition will be able to feel the resonance in the works of this oriental artist. I believe that today's exhibition will further enhance the comprehension between the art worlds of the two countries and promote the humanistic communication between the two countries to a higher level.”
Speech by The Representative of the Mayor of Florence, Benedetta Albanese
The Representative of the Mayor of Florence, Benedetta Albanese said: “On behalf of the Mayor, I would like to congratulate the success of this exhibition. I also want to thank the organiser of this exhibition, Zhong Art International, for its contribution to building this cultural communication between the two countries.”
Speech by The Presidente Emerito of the Academy of the Arts of Drawing, Luigi Zangheri
The Presidente Emerito of the Academy of the Arts of Drawing, Luigi Zangheri, said in his speech that Pang Maokun is one of the most well-known painters in the Chinese contemporary art world, and most of the works in this exhibition draw aspiration from classical masterpieces, modifying the original plots with ironic intrusions, entering the scenes with characters of his invention, which is a reinterpretation of the masterpieces, rather than a reproduction of painting techniques.
Speech by the curator Antonio Natali
The curator Antonio Natali said: “Pang MaoKun's artworks show the artist’s superb painting techniques, and also convey the poetic feelings in the artist's blood. The works reflect the realistic meaning rooted in European traditional art. These works are clear and delicate as if the popular portrait style of the 16th century in the Netherlands and Lombardy. Through the extremely matured personal expression in the artist's work, a new dimension of interpretation is added to the traditional masterpieces.”
The artist Pang Maokun said: “I try to establish a dialogue with classic artists and artworks to create a new context. The content of my works involves time and space, and the union of Western and Eastern cultures. Florence is a shrine for all artists, it’s an honor to be invited to participate in this exhibition.”
The president of Zhong Art International, Zhang Xiuzhong said: “On behalf of Zhong Art International, the organiser of this exhibition, I would like to thank the artist Mr. Pang Maokun for his trust and support, Mr. Natali for curating the exhibition, the professional Italian exhibition team and the staff of Palazzo Medici, the Consulate General of China in Florence, the Regional Government of Tuscany, the Cultural Bureau of Florence and the Municipal government of Florence for their attention to this exhibition, and The Mayor of Florence, Mr. Nardella, for the preface to the exhibition, and the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence, the Academy of the Arts of Drawing, the De Bianco Foundation for their support, and to all the staffs of Zhong Art International team. Zhong Art International will continue to focus on the organization of high-level art exhibitions and make positive contributions to the cultural communication between China and Italy."
