The retrospective exhibition of Documenta in Beijing retraces the evolution of the art fair in Germany. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The retrospective, The Myth of Documenta－Arnold Bode and His Heirs, comes in six parts: its founder Arnold Bode's world; reconstruction (the period covering Documenta's first to third editions); transformation (Documenta 4 to 6); anything goes (Documenta 7 to 9); global discourse (Documenta 10 to 13); and lab arts educate (the fair's public education on art).

Klaus Siebenhaar, aGerman co-curator of the Beijing retrospective, said at the opening that Documenta is like a textbook on the changes that have taken place in the art world in modern times.

Yu Ding, a Chinese co-curator, said at the same event: "Documenta is not limited to Germany. As China opens up more to the world,we need to know what happened and understand better the changes that have happened. The retrospective offers us a good chance in this direction."

The fair, founded in 1955 by Bode－a German artist and curator－is held over 100 days and invites artists from around the world to produce works for the event as well as present older pieces.