A painting by Yuan Yunfu. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Yuan Yunfu, 82, is best-known for his involvement in several important public art projects. He chiefly designed and created the frescoes and interior decorations at Terminal 2 of Beijing Capital International Airport, Line 2 of Beijing’s subways and the Memorial Hall of Chairman Mao Zedong, to name a few.

The drafts of these designs are on show at an exhibition reviewing Yuan's six-decade-long career, as an artist and educator, at the National Museum of China. He is a professor with Tsinghua University’s arts and design academy.

The exhibits also include watercolors, oil paintings and ink-and-wash paintings. The works reveal that Yuan has been influenced by impressionism and cubism, as well as mural paintings of the Dunhuang Grottoes — and he excels at bridging painting, design and public art as he creates and teaches.

The exhibition runs through Dec 3.