Artist gifts thousands of works to alma mater

On the Central Academy of Fine Arts' birthday, April 1, the institution received a generous gift from a former student and colleague: 260 paintings and over 3,000 sketches and drawings, one of the largest private donations the school has received in more than a dozen years.

The donation was gifted by 89-year-old Li Xingjian, who enrolled in the school in 1958 to study under the late ink master Li Keran (1907-1989).

After graduating, Li Xingjian taught for decades at his alma mater, focusing on the evolution of Chinese painting.

Select works from his donation are now on show at the Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in the No Smooth Path to the Summit exhibition, which runs until April 19.