On November 10-17, 2019, specialists of the A. Kasteyev State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Kazakhstan took a study tour in the leading cultural centers of China - Shanghai and Nanjing. The museum’s delegation included museum’s Director, Professor Gulmira Shalabayeva, Chinese Art Specialists Maria Kopeliovich and Violetta Vologodskaya, the Head of Restoration Gulzhan Kaldybaeva and the Head of Public and Foreign relations Clara Isabaeva.
The study tour was organized by the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Almaty. The intensive program included visits to world famous museums and attractions, master classes and consultations with leading restorers of Chinese art, exchange of valuable literature on art history, and acquaintance with the historic areas of the cities with unique eastern architecture and philosophy, and national cuisine.
The delegation visited the Shanghai Museum of Modern Art (the Chinese Palace of Arts), the Shanghai Museum of Art, the Shanghai Center of Restoration and Conservation, the International Finance Center, the Nanjing Museum, the Jinling Art Museum, the Nanjing Institute of Painting and Calligraphy, the mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen, the Six Dynasties Museum, the Dabaoensa Temple Ruin Park, as well as a cruise on the Huangpu (Shanghai) and Qinhuai (Nanjing) rivers.
“In the modern world, it is important to acquaint oneself with the various cultures, especially the cultures of countries along the Silk Road. Kazakhstan is an important participant of this program. Culture and art bring nations together.
We have a lot to learn from China. During official meetings with top managers of the leading museums in Shanghai and Nanjing, agreements were reached on signing memorandums, inter-museum cooperation, the exchange of experience, and future trainings for our specialists”, - underlined the director of the A. Kasteyev State Museum of Arts, Professor Gulmira Shalabayeva.
“The group of coworkers from the A. Kasteyev State Museum of Arts spent seven days at the study tour in the People’s Republic of China familiarizing themselves with the activities of museums in China. The museums that we visited, their wealth of collections and highly professional employees, warm welcome our delegation and desire to share their professional knowledge and build cultural ties made a huge impression. The visit to the Chinese Art Museum, or as it’s called, the Chinese Palace of Arts, allowed us to get acquainted with the collection of works by contemporary artists of China, working in the sphere of paintings, sculpture, photography, and contemporary art.
This museum has been occupying a building in the Chinese Pavilion, built specifically for the World Expo 2010, since 2012. It’s total area comes to
The head of restoration Gulzhan Kaldibaeva praised the work of the Shanghai Center of Conservation and Restoration, “The Shanghai Museum is the largest museum of Ancient Chinese Art. The fund has more than a million storage units, and it is planned to build a new corpus in the Pudong district, on the other side of the river. The pride of the museum are products made from bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, and paintings.
From 1958-60, the Shanghai Museum specifically laid the foundation for the protection and restoration of cultural heritage sites in China. Visiting the center of conservation and restoration at the Shanghai Museum, we were amazed at the scale of the center itself, which has several floors to itself, and has translation, research, and restoration equipment.”
The study tour became for the specialists of the A. Kasteyev State Museum of Arts a very useful step in a deeper understanding of the culture of China. It allowed them to see unique works of both ancient and modern art of China, learn some rare nuances of the technology of their creation, get acquainted with the work of the largest museums in China, and make connections that will bear fruit in the future joint projects and exhibitions.
The A. Kasteyev State Museum of Arts of the Republic of Kazakhstan expresses many thanks to the organizers of the trip - the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Almaty, and the Consul for Art and Education, Mr. Wang Qingping.
Head of Public & Foreign Relations - Clara Isabaeva
