The year 2005 may be crowned as the "China Year of Fine Art" as the nation is acting as the host of the prestigious international art biennial and of the general assembly of International Association of Art (IAA).

Adding luster to the ongoing Beijing International Art Biennale, the 16th General Assembly of International Association of Art opened on Friday in this capital city of east China's Anhui Province.

More than 400 artists from over 80 countries attended the conference.

The General Assembly of International Association of Art is jointly sponsored by the IAA, which is praised as the Olympics of fine arts, the Chinese Artists Association (CAA) and the municipal government of Hefei.

Participants of the three-day event include 108 delegates from 56 member nations of IAA, and world's most prestigious painters, sculptors, and fine arts critics. Members of the Presidium of CAA and artists from all over China also attended the assembly.

The CAA, which represents China's fine art circle, joined the IAA during the 15th general assembly held in Greece in 2002, and won the bid to host its 16th conference. It is the first time that the IAA let a new member to host its general assembly.

Given this opportunity, China hopes to create a platform for exchanges between artists in China and other parts of the world, promotion of other IAA member nations' understanding of China, and enhancement of friendship among global artists, a CAA official said.

The current general assembly of IAA features the summing-up of previous session's work, re-election of the IAA new administration, exchanges among artists on world art theories, and a special exhibition of works of IAA artists.

Founded in 1954, the IAA is a non-governmental organization affiliated to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). It consists of only the most prestigious arts organizations with the highest artistic level from more than 120 member nations around the world. It is a window for people to better understand modern arts of the world.

(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2005)