Germany opens massive art show in China

A massive exhibition of contemporary German art - "Deutschland 8 - Art from Germany" opened in the Chinese capital and will be on show until October 31.

"Deutschland 8" features some 350 works by more than 50 artists at eight venues.

The list of contemporary German artists on show reads like a who's-who of the art world: Gerhard Richter, Georg Baselitz, Andreas Gursky, Sigmar Polke, K.O. Götz and Markus Lüpertz will all be represented in a show that brings together painting, sculpture, photography and multimedia art.

The plan is an ambitious one. "We are showing Chinese audiences the best that German art ateliers have to offer," said Smerling.

"Deutschland 8" is the result of a collaboration between the Foundation for Art and Culture Bonn, which is chaired by Smerling, and Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts.

See it while you can

With just a six-week run, the show, which closes on October 31, is relatively short by German standards - but long for Chinese museum-goers.

The Taimiao, a historical temple located just outside Beijing's Forbidden City, and its Imperial Ancestral Temple Art Museum form the heart of the eight-venue exhibition.

The CAFA Museum, the exhibition space at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, will be showing the works of 17 artists, making it the most extensive display in the group. Meanwhile, the Red Brick Art Museum will be concentrating on Informalism and Abstract art, going back to Germany's postwar era.

Contemporary photography from Germany can be seen at the Minsheng Art Museum, with a focus on works from the Becher School in Dusseldorf, but also by Katharina Sieverding and Andreas Mühe. 

The Today Art Museum will be presenting video and media art, curated by Peter Weibel, the director of the Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe. The White Box Art Center is showing select examples of very recent art, while the Yuan Art Museum juxtaposes works by teachers with those of their art students.

The eighth venue is not a museum but a symposium on the social significance of art.

Read more: Germany opens its largest-ever show of modern Chinese art

"Deutschland 8" is Germany's response to "China 8," which brought contemporary Chinese art to eight locations in the Ruhr region in 2015. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, his predecessor Joachim Gauck and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel have praised the project as an "excellent example of understanding and intercultural dialogue."

Click through the gallery below for a look at the work of contemporary Chinese photographers dealing with China's Cultural Revolution. They are now showing in Berlin. 

Read more: Chinese photographers confront Cultural Revolution in Berlin