It is said that on his first day at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Art de Dijon, Chinese artist Lin Fengmian (1900-1991) was given a suggestion by principal Ovide Yencesse that, as a Chinese, he should not abandon traditional Chinese aesthetics while studying Western art at the prestigious French school.

It was 1921, and Lin, who later went to the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and studied under the tutelage of Fernand Cormon, kept the suggestion in mind all his life. He went on to pioneer the fusion of Chinese and Western painting styles in the early 20th century.

Artworks on show at the exhibition Photos: Courtesy of China Art Museum

Now almost a century later, the artworks of both Lin and his French tutors are on display at an ongoing exhibition at China Art Museum. Entitled Shanghai / Paris: Modern Art of China, the exhibition traces the history of modern Chinese art from the early 1920s to today, and showcases more than 250 artworks, most by Chinese artists who studied in France and other Western countries.

"It's the first time in China that an exhibition has been planned in an academic way that compares China and the West," said the curator of the exhibition, Lu Huan.

"The exhibition follows the thread of expressionism in China - Lin being a pioneer - and showcases different generations of Chinese artists who had interactions with their Western counterparts, reflecting the modern look of Chinese painting," said Lu. The deputy director of the academic department of China Art Museum, Lu planned the exhibition together with Philippe Cinquini, the artistic director of Shanghai-based Galerie Cinquini.

Artworks on show at the exhibition Photos: Courtesy of China Art Museum

The exhibition is divided into three sections. The first section showcases the artworks of master Lin, his teachers and friends in Paris, his Chinese students and his students' French tutors. Artists featured in this section include Yencesse, Cormon, Andre Claudot, Pascal Dagnan-Bouveret, Wu Guanzhong and Zhao Wuji.

Accompanying the extraordinary oil paintings are descriptions revealing the art history of the early 20th century. For instance, visitors can see how Lin expressed his gratitude to Claudot, who came to teach in China for four years upon Lin's invitation and who created a series of drawings of Chinese landscapes and human images during his stay.

The second section focuses on other major artists who studied in France during the Republic of China era (1912-49), among them are Liu Haisu, Wu Dayu and Zhou Bichu. The third section features works by well-known artists Chen Danqing and Chen Yifei, who went abroad in the 1980s.

"The artistic styles of artists in the same section often vary greatly from each other," commented Lu. "However, they all shared the same dream in their artistic creation, which was to develop modernism in Chinese art."

"Without the pioneering artists' trials in the early 20th century, the splendid contemporary art scene in China today would not be possible," added Lu, who believes that the exhibition will shed light upon the source of contemporary Chinese art.

Artworks on show at the exhibition Photos: Courtesy of China Art Museum

Date: Until May 30, 2014, 9 am to 5 pm (closed on Mondays and admission ends at 4 pm)

Venue: China Art Museum

中华艺术宫

Address: 205 Shangnan Road

上南路205号

Admission: Free, but reservations at china.artmuseumonline.org one day in advance are needed

Call 400-921-9021 for details