About the Host of Global Forum of Art Foundations 2010

Wu Zuoren International Foundation of Fine Arts (WIFA)

— Mr. Wu Zuoren founded Wu Zuoren International Foundation of Fine Arts (“WIFA”) in August, 1989. As an independently registered non-profit organization, WIFA is China’s oldest, largest and most influential foundation. It is located in a tranquil neighborhood inside Peking University.

— Wu Zuoren (1908-1997) was a highly influential Chinese artist and art educator whose works link the past and present of Chinese modern art history. He was one of the most accomplished Chinese oil painters, a pioneer of the new style of Chinese traditional ink painting, a former chairman of the China Artists Association, a professor, president and honorary president of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts, a vice president of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and a decorated artist who won the “Commandeur de l’Ordre des Arts et des Letters” from the French government and the “Officier de l’Ordre de la Couronne” by King Baudouin I of Belgium.

— “Chinese View, Modern Perspective” is WIFA’s motto.

— WIFA’s mission is to advance the development of Chinese art and the creation of Chinese contemporary art, and promote the exchange of art research and collaboration between China and the world in this era of globalization. WIFA is working toward that goal on several fronts:
a) Organizing, awarding and funding traditional and contemporary Chinese art
b) Sponsoring art exhibitions and researches, facilitating exchanges between various art institutes and awarding, funding and promoting art education, art theory research, art critiques and art history research and publications
c) Creating opportunities to further Chinese art with our colleagues both home and abroad through various subsidiary funds

— Focused areas for WIFA are Chinese art creation, Chinese art critique, art history research, international art exchange, art education, art administration and community improvement. Along these disciplinarians, WIFA runs several regular, long-term projects:
1) Wu Zuoren Art Award
2) Xiao Shufang Art Award
3) Chinese Modern Art Archive
4) Researching on Wu Zuoren.

— “Pragmatic collaboration” describes how WIFA flexibly seeks opportunities to bring together various resources to undertake challenging art projects. WIFA can plan and execute the entire project; or only plan and allow third parties to execute the project; or allow third parties plan and execute the entire project while providing funding, branding or academic support; or WIFA can establish special-purpose subsidiary foundations for other interest groups.

— WIFA has completed a series of major projects recently, including “Wu Zuoren Centennial Celebration”, “Wu  Zuoren, On the Crossroad of East and West” in Europalia, Creating and Maintaining the Xu Beihong Archives, Exhibition:“Ten Pieces Paper Studio (1953-1957)”, Winning the hosting right for the 34th Congress of the International Committee of the History of Arts in 2016. On the horizon, WIFA is in the process of launching several key projects in contemporary arts, such as the “Global Forum of Art Foundations 2010”, “World Art History Training Program” and a forum in Brussels, Belgium, as a part of the tricentennial celebration of the establishment of Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, whose focus will center on the differences between Chinese and Western art.

Center for Visual Studies, Peking University

— Center for Visual Studies Peking University (CVS) is a national base for the research of traditional Chinese art, Chinese contemporary art and world art history. We have a group of multidisciplinary scholars who specialize in the cultural and visual studies. The center is under the supervision of Prof. LaoZhu of the School of Art at Peking University.

— As a multidisciplinary center, CVS is on the forefront of contemporary art education and research. By using an open standard of employment and excellent financial management, we are able to take on many projects funded both locally or by foundations abroad, fully immerse ourselves into researching and analyzing the trend, activities, and discussion within both contemporary Chinese culture as well as cultures all across the globe and create lecture hall, classrooms, and workspaces that are up to international standards.. All in all, high quality and high efficiency describe that the standards we strive to uphold while we work to achieve greater results in art research.

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About the host of Global Forum of Art Foundations 2010