The Long Museum's ongoing exhibition to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China. [PHOTO BY HONG XIAOLE/FOR CHINA DAILY]

The event encompasses an impressive compendium of modern artwork, a result of one couple's lifelong passion for the genre, Zhang Kun reports in Shanghai.

The Long Museum in Shanghai is currently presenting a showcase of modern Chinese art in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Titled Thinking of the Seven Decades of History at My Space, the exhibition is named after one of the paintings on show by renowned artist Chen Yifei. The showcase opened on June 21 and will end on Sept 8.

About 200 works of art are on display at the show, including oil paintings, Chinese ink paintings, prints, sketches, sculptures, political posters and New Year posters, many of which are iconic images that used to appear in textbooks and other publications.

According to Chen Lyusheng, curator of the exhibition and deputy director of the art theory committee under the China Artists Association, the Long Museum's collection of New China art started because of the personal interests of the founders of the museum, Wang Wei and Liu Yiqian.