Date: June 20, 2024–September 20, 2024

Venue: Galleries 11 and 12

Content:

2024 marks the 75^th anniversary of the establishment of China-Russia diplomatic relations and the beginning of the China-Russia Years of Culture. In response to the Cooperation Program between the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China and the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation for 2024-2027 and in alignment with the national development strategy, the CGCM collaborated with the State Russian Museum to launch the second international art exhibition of the “Canal Art Series”, titled “Defining Avant-Garde – Russian Avant-Garde Art from the State Russian Museum”, aiming at promoting Sino-Russian art exchanges.

This exhibition traces the evolution of the Russian avant-garde and its extensive influence, showcasing the unique styles and aesthetic concepts of four notable avant-garde artists. It offers the audience a glimpse into the boldness and progressiveness of avant-garde art, as well as the challenges faced by these artists within the complex political landscape of the time. This exhibition will feature a total of 77 pieces (sets) of works by four Russian avant-garde artists—Wassily Kandinsky, Kazimir Malevich, Pavel Filonov, and Marc Chagall—spanning various mediums such as oil paintings, prints, ceramics, and plaster works. All the works on display have never been seen in China before, including several national treasure-level masterpieces of Russian art. Some of these pieces are also being exhibited in Asia for the first time.