Pudong Art MuseumThe first major art exhibition of the year, “Times Yifei: Chen Yifei Retrospective”, will beApril 26Officially opened to the public.

Chen Yifei (born in Zhenhai, Zhejiang in 1946) is aThe earliest to engage in cultural and artistic exchanges between China and foreign countries, and obtainInfluence of the timesHis works highly integrate the essence of Chinese and Western art, while carryingRed Culture,Shanghai CultureandJiangnan CultureThe historical context has left a strong mark in the history of modern and contemporary Chinese art.

Chen Yifei was the first"Great Art"The concept of introducing"Visual Arts"ofAdvocateandPractitionerHe has achieved outstanding achievements in many fields including painting, film, fashion, and environmental design, and has taken the lead in promoting the integration of different fields.

In 2025, in memory of Chen Yifei20th anniversary of deathWith the strong support from all sectors of society, Pudong Art Museum takes this opportunity to hold an exhibition to comprehensively review Chen Yifei’s artistic achievements.

The title of the exhibition"era"The two words not only demonstrate Chen Yifei's foresight and innovation ahead of his time, but also reveal his shaping of the current social and cultural landscape. From red classics to urban narratives, from oriental artistic conception to international vision, his creations have always been ahead of the times, and his artistic career has also spanned the changes of the times. Chen Yifei's lifelong pioneering practice still has profound inspirational significance for the development of China's cultural industry as a whole.

This exhibition includes many Chen YifeiThe most famous masterpiece——Including many early foundational masterpieces such as "Ode to the Yellow River" and "Pioneer"; the "Old Dreams on the Sea" series represented by works such as "Night Banquet", "Spring Warmth in the Jade Hall" and "Remaining Charms of Xunyang"; the "Musicians" series created during his stay in the United States and very popular with the public; the "Water Village" series that allows more international audiences to appreciate the Jiangnan style of China, etc.

Nearly 100 representative worksCovering a variety of media including oil painting, printmaking, sketching, watercolor, sculpture, video, and various precious historical documents, it will fully present the overall appearance and ideological changes of each stage of Chen Yifei's creative career, highlighting his important achievements in different fields.

The exhibition is divided into several different stages of Chen Yifei's career.Four major theme sections, will lead the audience to deeply understand how Chen Yifei carved his artistic life with faith in the era. This artist not only accepted the weight, responsibility and enthusiasm given to him by the times, but also embraced the opportunities, imagination and glory given to him by the times.

Section 1Focusing on Chen Yifei's early creations and classic works from the first stage, the audience will feel Chen Yifei's romantic and heroic sentiments, his pursuit of sublimity and beauty, and the profound reflection in his classic work "Strolling".

Section 2It presents Chen Yifei's second important spiritual growth and breakthrough in painting - he found his own unique expression in different cultures, and won recognition on the world art stage with the Water Village Series and Music Figure Series, becoming a spiritual bridge between the two cultures.

The third sectionIt shows the mature period of Chen Yifei's return to Shanghai and the development of Shanghai School painting. Important works of this period include the "Ladies" series and the "Tibet" series, which not only developed new techniques, but also made new breakthroughs in subject matter and media. The Shanghai style created by Chen Yifei once again embraced the amazing brilliance that burst out after the times.

Section 4Focusing on Chen Yifei's unique contribution and profound influence on the city of Shanghai, this section tells the legendary story of Chen Yifei in Shanghai. This section covers the artist's innovative attempts in the fields of film, fashion, media, etc., showing how he expanded his artistic language to multiple dimensions beyond painting. Here, the audience will encounter the "big visual era" created by Chen Yifei, and immerse themselves in the magazines he created, his clothing brand, his "Yifei House", his public sculptures, and so on.

In addition, documents and precious video materials related to Chen Yifei will be specially presented during the exhibition period. The museum will also screen films directed by him and historical video clips to provide the audience with a more immersive artistic experience.

AsShanghai CultureofSuccessorandDeveloperChen Yifei spent several crucial periods of his career in this international metropolis full of modern spirit, and also made important contributions to the development of Shanghai's urban culture at many key historical nodes.

In the early 1990s, Chen Yifei proposed“Great Art, Great Vision”, integrating all categories of visual art, promoting the aesthetic revival of an era, and creating legends in business, film and public art. He entered the film and television industry and filmed four films as a director, including "Old Dreams on the Sea", "Date at Dusk", "Escape to Shanghai" and "The Barber". The clothing brand "Layefe" he founded brought the concept of "fashion" to China for the first time. The magazine "Youth Vision" he founded became the "enlightenment" of art and fashion for young people at that time. The public art sculpture "Gate of Art" he designed is a landmark of the Taikang Road Art District. During this period, Chen Yifei broke the boundaries between pure art and applied art and brought aesthetic ideas into daily life.

Chen Yifei's Shanghai story is also accompanied byThe development history of PudongHe was deeply involved in the construction of Pudong New Area after the reform and opening up, and took the lead in planning a number of public art projects in Pudong. Among them, "Light of the East" located on Century Avenue is based on the ancient sundial, and has now become one of the most representative urban sculptures in Shanghai. He also participated in the top-level design of urban culture - the preliminary planning of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

As the frontier of China's reform and opening up, Pudong New Area has not only witnessed Chen Yifei's artistic practice, but also provided fertile soil for it. The important cultural and artistic heritage he left in Pudong reflects the profound impact of this hot land on art and urban development. While exploring Chen Yifei's artistic achievements, this exhibition also highlights the important role of Pudong in promoting cultural innovation and promoting international exchanges, which will further help Shanghai build a cultural metropolis with global influence.

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