Chen Yiming introduces the paintings of Chen Yifei at Jinchen YFM Art Gallery on April 8. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
An exhibition in commemoration of the 20th anniversary for the death of Chen Yifei (1946-2005) will open at Jinchen YFM Art Gallery in Shanghai on April 12.
Curated by Chen Yiming, the younger brother of Chen Yifei, who is also a painter, the exhibition features 118 artworks from more than 50 artists, among whom are Yifei's friends, classmates, colleagues, and those who shared similar career path rising alongside with China's opening up since the 1980s.
Chen Yiming points at the location of he and brother Chen Yifei's former residence on his painting of The Bund. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
One of the central figures in the development of oil painting in China, Chen Yifei is a representative artist of contemporary China and an indispensable figure in Shanghai's cultural scene, according to Chen Xiejun, former director of the Shanghai Museum.
The Bund, a painting by Chen Yifei. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Four paintings by Chen Yifei are on display at the exhibition, all created in 1983-84. Two of them were among the exhibits of his first major exhibition at the Hammer Galleries in New York, a landmark in his career.
Chen Yiming shared with the media on April 8 how his brother proposed the "greater art" concept, and founded his own fashion brand, design magazine and devoted himself to movie making in the later years of his career.
The Morning, a painting by Chen Yifei in 1983. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Back from a tour in Europe, Chen Yifei shared excitedly with his brother about his findings of the Bauhaus design school, Yiming recalled. "He believed designs could make life so much better, and had great faith in the power of beauty...He advocated with great confidence that we should build more beautiful houses, wear more beautiful clothes, and that would make the Chinese society better. He was an advocate of beauty, and considered it his social responsibility."
The exhibition will conclude on May 30.
A Quiet Evening, a painting by Chen Yifei in 1984. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
