The Exhibition of Mawangdui Han Tombs Returns

Hunan Provincial Museum will partner with Changsha Dahexi Pilot District Planning Exhibition Center to launch the exhibition of Mawangdui Han Tombs on March 29, 2014. The permanent exhibition is free of charge. Meanwhile, on the third floor of the center, a temporary exhibition entitled “Light and Shadows: The Oil Painting of Tuscany, Italy 1850-1950” will be staged at the same time. Considering the needs of the public, Hunan Provincial Museum decides to stay open to the public during the expansion and renovation project.

Hunan Provincial Museum is regarded as the name card for the Changsha City, the capital of Hunan Province while the Pilot District Planning Exhibition Center is an important platform showcasing Changsha and the Pilot Development Zone (located at the west bank of Xiangjiang River). The collaboration of Hunan Provincial Museum and the exhibition center, promoted by Hunan Provincial Department of Culture, will expand win-win cooperation for both sides, bringing more cultural and artistic enjoyment to the public.

“Cultural Relics from Mawangdui Han Tombs” exhibition has been closed for more than one year and half due to the expansion and renovation project of the museum. Now, Hunan Provincial Museum and the Exhibition Center are collaborating to restage this national level exhibition since it has been long awaited by the public. More than 50 pieces of cultural relics are carefully selected, including the “Gauze Gown in Plain Colour”, “The Reconstruction Statue of Xin Zhui, Wife of Marquis of Dai”, “T-Shaped Paintings on Silk” and others. Visitors will be able to have a glance at the extravagant life of Li Cang, the prime minister of the Changsha State and to enjoy the unique charm of the culture of Han Dynasty. Moreover, the technology of 4D imaging is employed so as to provide an unforgettable experience for visitors.

As the cradle of the European Renaissance, Tuscany, a region in central Italy, is a fruitful land of culture and art. From the 19th to the 20th century, a cultural movement highlighting Naturalism swept across Europe while a collision between the traditional and the new schools of painting took place. “Light and Shadows: The Oil Painting of Tuscany, Italy 1850-1950” provides visitors with an excellent opportunity to review the history of that period. Over 70 masterpieces are selected, including Giovanni Fattori’s “Grassland”, Oscar Ghiglia’s “A Calla Lily” and some works by Guglielmo Micheli, the teacher of Amedeo Modigliani. Most of the works are fine examples for later generations to learn and have been included in art history textbooks. This is the first time that those masterpieces have been exhibited in Changsha.

At present, Hunan Provincial Museum’s Expansion and Renovation Project is still underway and Changsha’s Dahexi Pilot District is still now in the stage of building industries and quality enhancement. Both parties are committed to bringing fine cultural products to the public. More exhibitions will be held by Hunan Provincial Museum at the Planning Exhibition Centre soon, including “European Glass Wares from Czech National Museum of Arts & Crafts” at the end of June, 2014 and “The Myth of Imperial Kilns: Porcelain Wares from the Imperial Court of Ming Dynasty” at the end of September, 2014.