Institutions for Arts and Cultural Research and Education
( 2005-09-13 )

  Xinjiang Academy of Painting

The Xinjiang Academy of Painting, founded in June 1981, is a fine arts institute with several divisions, including sections for the creation and research of Chinese traditional painting (plus a picture-framing office), oil painting, murals, and prints; a library and an arts archive; the "Shenzhen Xiyu Gallery"; and a training center for fine arts. It has 33 professional artists and 50 guest painters, 24 of who are widely renowned professionals. The staff comes from eight ethnic groups, including the Uygur, Han, Kazak, Kirgiz, Hui, Mongol, Manchu, and a group encompassing the three ethnic minorities of Miao, Hui, and Mongol.

The Academy has turned out plenty of artworks with local and ethnic flavors, many being shown in provincial, national, and international exhibitions, including those in China'sHong KongandMacaospecial administrative regions, Singapore, Japan, France, Australia, the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, and the United States. About 100 pieces have been awarded gold, silver, orbronzemedals as well as honors for excellence in provincial and national competitions; some have even been collected in noted galleries and museums from both home and abroad.

In addition, many artists from the Academy have also held several solo exhibitions in Urumuqi (Xinjiang), the cities ofBeijing,Shanghai,Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Dongguan, and the provinces of Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Gansu, as well as China's Hong Kong andTaiwanProvince, and the countries of Japan, France, Russia (and other members of the Russian Federation), and the United States.

Meanwhile, many artists of the Academy have published their works and writings in domestic and foreign newspapers and magazines; some have even been the subjects of special features broadcast in major news media. So far the Academy artists have published 19 albums, and some have had their works included in such major art collections as the Anthology of China's Fine Arts, the Anthology of China's Contemporary Fine Arts, the Corpus of China's Arts and Culture, and the Art of China's Contemporary Oil Painting.

The Academy also offers art lessons for art students and amateurs around Xinjiang.