Gillian Ayres, artist. [Photo provided to China Daily]

He says when Ayres is asked about what her paintings mean, she says she does not know.

"She says this because each time she does a painting she is 'sailing off the edge', exploring new worlds in paint. Her paintings are new worlds, unknown before they are made," Dodd says.

Ayres will not attend the exhibition opening because of a heart problem and diabetes.

She says she was so ill last winter that it took her a long time to get better.

Her artist son Sam Mundy will be present on her behalf.

Besides the Beijing exhibition, a retrospective of Ayres' art is now on at the National Museum Cardiff, Wales, through Sept 3.

Her exhibitions address a recent phenomenon in the international art world－showcasing senior female artists.

Exhibitions are being held to recognize their creativity that was overlooked earlier.

Dodd says that thanks to the waves of feminism people now look back and see female artists who were invisible to museums earlier.

"Gillian Ayres is an important artist because she is a good artist. But this present moment makes it easier to 'see' her."

Ayres says the act of trying to achieve something is in reality "very lonely", but she has never felt inferior as a woman because half of the world is made up of them.

"There is nothing stopping them (female artists)!"

If you go

9:30 am-5:30 pm, Mondays closed, July 30-Aug 27. 8 Huajiadi Nan Jie, Wangjing, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6477-1575.