Prof. Xu Weixin’s exhibition, “Chinese Historical Figures: 1966-1976”, is one of the first attempts to come in terms with the cultural revolution in painting. It first showed in Beijing’s Today Art museum at the end of 2007.

Xu approached the Cultural Revolution through a series of portraits. Altogether, he has painted over 100 portraits of people who lived during the period between 1966 and 1976. The paintings are each 2- by 2.5-metre, monochromatic oil canvases. Brief, objective biographies tell tales to the visitor about the historical events and singles fates of the Cultural Revolution. The alphabetic order reunites the powerful with the persecuted, ranging from politicians such as Mao to victims such as the novelist Lao She who committed suicide during the revolution. Xu had worked two years on the series before the first show, but approached with more and more interesting characters and their fates, he has since then continued to create portraits for the collection.

We need your help to realize this exhibition. We offer a bronze sponsorship up from 66 EUR, and Xu Weixin is willing to show his appreciation to a main sponsor with a painting. Please do visit our sponsoring site for details.