Paris salon features a new generation of Chinese artists

Paris is a special place in the hearts of Chinese artists. Not only is it a cultural hub, but it was also the destination of groups of Chinese artists who lived and worked there in the first half of the 20th century.

A new generation of Chinese artists, whose mentors were once trained in France and Europe, brought over 50 oil works and ink paintings featuring the classical Chinese style to the 236th edition of Le Salon des Artistes Français (The French Artists' Salon) in Paris, held at the Grand Palais from Feb 12 to 25. The salon is a prelude to further exchanges between the two countries later this year, as French artists are expected to exhibit and tour China in June and July.

The works on display were part of a figurative approach first introduced in China by those who returned from studies in Paris and other European cities. Others were ink paintings adopting contemporary sensibilities.