Doha, September 01 (QNA) – Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) will organize an exhibition by Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming from October 12 to January 12 2013, QMA said Saturday. This is the Chinese artist’s first major exhibition in Doha. It will be held under the patronage of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Al Thani. Ming is one of the world’s most renowned artists and particularly famous for his “epic-sized” portraits of China’s communist leader Mao Zedong and Chinese actor Bruce Lee. QMA released a press statement today saying that the exhibition will highlight “the power of painting as a medium for recording historical events and portraying iconic figures.”
Director of Public Art at Qatar Museums Authority Jean Paul Engelen said that Ming used painting to give “a deeper meaning” to photographs of famous people and events that have influenced modern history. Engelen said that what set Ming’s paintings apart was that it stimulates the mind to think about history differently.
QMA said that the exhibition will consist of three sectors. The first one was dedicated to the modern history of Arab culture. More than a 100 portraits of influential political and artistic figures will be on display. Lebanese singer Fairuz and Egyptian leader Gamal Abul Nasser will be two of the many figures portrayed by Ming.
The second section will focus on Western history; with a triptych of Jean Louis David’s “The Death of Marat” on display. The Death of Marat represents the death of French revolutionary leader Marat, after he was stabbed to death in his bath tub.
The last section builds on “The Death of Marat”; where Ming will paint a number of assassinated political leaders in modern history, including Gandhi and Che Guevara. (QNA)
