Some 27 paintings of the "Forbidden City" series of Chinese
artist Jiang Guofang captivated Athens residents and foreign visitors as an art exhibition opened in Athens on Wednesday.It was the first time that Jiang's collection of art works were on display in Greece. Former Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis, Chinese diplomats based in Athens and other dignitaries attended a gala opening at the B. &M. Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music.
The exhibition, entitled "The Forbidden City," gives visitors "an opportunity to take a glimpse at life behind the walls of the imperial palace before it opened up to the common people after six centuries," said Greek entrepreneur Bassilis Theocharakis, founder of the foundation.
Former Greek ambassador to China Ioannis Theofanopoulos, who had the idea to bring the talented Chinese artist's paintings under the blue sky of Athens, stressed that the exhibition contributes to promoting cultural relations between Greece and China.
"Through these two friends, Theofanopoulos and Theocharakis, I started to get to know Greeks and their mentality. I knew that Greece, like China, contributed much to the world. I wish that the two countries forge stronger and stronger links," said Jiang at the event.
Jiang, a graduate and professor of the Central Academy of Fine Arts of Beijing, started from 1987 the creation of the "Forbidden City" series, which consist of over 200 paintings.
