EXHIBITION TITLE
COLORS! Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou



DURATION
2026.01.24 - 2026.04.15

Artist Fang Lijun is participating in the exhibition "COLORS! Masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou". This exhibition is jointly presented by the Beijing Minsheng Art Museum, the Centre Pompidou in France, and the Grimaldi Forum Monaco. It officially opened to the public on January 24 and will run until April 15.

The exhibition features over 100 artworks, bringing together masterpieces from the Centre Pompidou’s 20th-century collection alongside works by contemporary Chinese artists, showcasing the modern history of color and a dialogue between Chinese and Western art. The exhibition is centered around seven monochromatic spaces, complemented by sound compositions created by composer Roque Rivas in collaboration with the Music and Acoustics Research Center, as well as a fragrance installation developed by Alexis Dadier in partnership with Parfumerie Fragonard. Together, these elements create a unique multisensory immersive experience, encouraging viewers to rethink the role of color in modern and contemporary art.


At the scene, the exhibition was inaugurated by Liu Zhenzi, Chairman of the Beijing Minsheng Art Museum; Didier Ottinger, Deputy Director and Curator of the Centre Pompidou (French National Museum of Modern Art); Sylvie Biancheri, General Manager of the Grimaldi Forum Monaco team; and artist representatives Fang Lijun and Zhang Xiaogang. The opening ceremony was hosted by Li Feng, Director of the Beijing Minsheng Art Museum.


Additionally, artist representative Fang Lijun delivered a speech during the ceremony, sharing the story of his collaboration with the Centre Pompidou and expressing gratitude to the organizers—the Beijing Minsheng Art Museum and the Centre Pompidou—for their efforts in making this exhibition possible.


Twenty-two years ago, two prints by Fang Lijun entered the collection of the Centre Pompidou in Paris as part of the exhibition "Alors, la Chine?" (2003), marking the inclusion of his works into the archives of this world-class institution. In the current exhibition, Fang Lijun presents nine new porcelain plate works. Though each piece stands independently, they resonate across time and space with the pieces collected twenty-two years ago through their shared color spectrum. This connection not only traces the artist’s evolution in medium and color language but also reflects how the relationship between "the Centre Pompidou and Chinese contemporary art" has progressed from one-sided observation and collection to collaborative creation and equal dialogue on the ground.


Through the long lens of Chinese contemporary art, Fang Lijun captures the spiritual tremors of the social transformation in the 1990s with his iconic bald heads and playful expressions. The visual tension created by exaggerated forms and bold colors brings the individual’s sense of dislocation, irony, and unease onto the public stage. In his hands, “Cynical Realism” is not a frivolous gesture but a visual strategy that dissolves the lofty with everyday experience and deconstructs authority through平民美学—a kind of平民美学 that serves both as self-mockery and a probing question directed at the times.


Fang Lijun has never remained confined within his established artistic language but has continuously explored the boundaries of materials and mediums. Particularly in recent years, his shift toward porcelain plates has brought new extensions and sublimation to his artistic expression. Through the layering of glaze, the formation of cracks, and the uncertainties of firing, Fang’s porcelain plate works place the creative process itself at the core of the narrative, imbuing color and material with deeper meaning. Color is no longer merely decorative but intertwines with craftsmanship and process to become essential to the work’s expression

For this exhibition, "COLORS!," Fang Lijun was invited to present nine new porcelain plate works. These pieces, characterized by layered glazes and crack formations, draw the viewer from the flat visual plane into the realms of touch and time—making the creative process an integral part of the artwork. This exhibition marks his transition from "being collected" to "actively participating" in the art world, while also symbolizing the evolving role of Chinese contemporary art in global artistic dialogues. From Paris to Beijing, over the past two decades, Fang Lijun has not only witnessed the refinement of his own practice but also embodied the historic shift of Chinese contemporary art from "being interpreted" to "actively narrating" its own story.