Artworks are on display. [Photo provided by Qian Art Museum]

The art exhibition Retrogrado - l'ultimo gigante realistico Pietro Annigoni debuted more than 50 authentic engravings of Pietro Annigoni at the Qian Art Museum in Lijia Tianjie. The exhibition will be open to the public until Oct 31.

Pietro Annigoni was a 20th-century Italian artist famous for his realist portraits and landscapes. His works adhered to Renaissance painting techniques, in contrast to the modernist and post-modernist artistic styles that prevailed in his time. His best-known works include portraits of Queen Elizabeth II, Pope John XXIII, and President John F. Kennedy.

In a time when art underwent radical change, Pietro Annigoni chose an alternative path to the mainstream. He brought a breath of fresh air to traditional art by blending realism and self-expression, according to Chen Zhiwei, curator of the show and founder of the museum.

Self-portrait of Pietro Annigoni. [Photo provided by Qian Art Museum]

The boundaries and definitions of art let alone the art genres, can change at any second. BY appreciating a great artist like Pietro Annigoni, the audience can better understand the meaning of art by what's left when putting aside all techniques, experience, and skills, Chen added.

Retrogrado is the first exhibition that stages the Lijia Tianjie site of the Qian Art Museum. The Qian Art Museum was originally established in 2020 at Jinshan Ecool, a cultural park born out of an industrial processing base in Liangjiang New Area.

With the name "Qian" (meaning "shallow", "plain", and "obvious" in Chinese), Chen conveys that art is not a mystery and can be accessible and understood. The museum has been holding multiple art displays, including a solo exhibition of Salvador Dalí and a photographic exhibition with Sweden, Denmark, and Norway's embassies in China.