The exhibition shows three of the most prominent representatives of this modern "converted realism."(Photo: CCTV.com)

The exhibition was first shown at the Museum Moderner in Austria late last year. At the original showing the exhibits covered the four floors of the museum in Vienna. The current showing in Beijing is an abridgement of the original.

Fan Di'an curator of National Museum of Fine Arts, said, "It's well known that contemporary art thrived in the climate of reform and opening-up. Experimentation gave rise to all kinds of arts. These remain in dire need of distillation and interpretation. Sometimes Art became overburdened with mono-dimensional Western views. The interpretation of reality began to diverge from mainstream culture. And that makes this selection all the more important. "

The exhibition shows three of the most prominent representatives of this modern "converted realism."(Photo: CCTV.com)

Throughout the exhibition, curators are keen to show that what's on show are not "art wonders" that suddenly materialized from nothing. The works represent the culmination of an era of Chinese art history spanning an entire century.

The country's history and its artistic reflections - as seen at the exhibition - reveal a deep culture about which the West was widely ignorant. The exhibits enhance and encourage objective assessment. And they contribute to a better understanding of contemporary art in general.

(CCTV April 11,2008)