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Faces of Time

Western portrait collection of Tokyo Fuji Art Museum
5 August 2023 - 12 November 2023
Location: National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing
Curators: Qian Qian, Liu Yuxiao

In the history of art, portraits have never been a mechanical reproduction of physiognomy but have always carefully interpreted the relationship between man and his historical time, whether in a symbolic and mythological key, when only gods and emperors were represented, or in the realistic and even abstract form of modernity.

The exhibition Faces of Time takes a journey through time to observe the evolution of portraiture and the likeness of the human figure through the ages, creating a way of recording the profound meaning of Western art history, its humanism and its transition from mythology to the psychological introspection of modernity.

Through 56 works from the collection of the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum we travel between divine themes, court symbolism, status symbols and profound humanity. A journey through five centuries of Western portrait painters, from Baroque to Pop Art with original works by Van Dyck, Lacroix, Chagall, Warhol and many more.

A broad and sophisticated representation of the relationship between man and his own image. With the support of Art Exhibitions China and Japan-China Cultural Exhibition Association.

"I hope this exhibition will play an index role for contemporary Chinese audiences to experience the charm of Western art and understand its development"
Ge Dali, Vice President of the National Centre for the Performing Arts
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