Explore 25 years of watercolors by Ye Xianmin

Featuring nearly 200 pieces of beautiful watercolors, oil paintings, and sketches made by leading Chinese watercolorist Ye Xianmin since 1997, the exhibition “Traces of Mind: Paintings by Ye Xianmin” showcases his success in creating brilliant paintings with a unique modern oriental elegance. It is currently on display at the Guangdong Museum of Art on Er-sha Island, Guangzhou, from March 9 until April 17.

Artist Ye Xianmin speaks at the opening ceremony of the exhibition March 9. Liao Jianping 

Contemporary Chinese watercolorist Ye, born in 1958 in Guangzhou, is a researcher at the China Watercolor Painting Institute. Being one of the most outstanding watercolorists in China, Ye was a member of the Watercolor Committee of the China Artists Association for three sessions and the deputy director of the Guangzhou Painting Academy. Over the past several decades, he has received dozens of awards at many large-scale national watercolor and oil painting exhibitions in China.

Two reproductions of Ye Xianmin’s 1990s watercolor masterpieces greet visitors at the entrance of the exhibition. Photos by Wang Haiying unless otherwise stated

Assimilating the exquisite brushwork techniques of traditional Chinese painting, Ye has created many watercolor masterpieces with realistic forms and rich yet transparent colors, revealing the diverse inner beauty of ordinary people such as brides, housewives, and horsemen. He is especially skilled at unveiling the fascinating personalities of common people by portraying various bright lights cast on the figures. In addition to depicting one or several figures, he has also produced many remarkable large-scale watercolor paintings that present grand historical or daily scenes with large groups of people.

Paintings by Ye Xianmin.

With all these prominent achievements, Ye has greatly contributed to promoting the influence of Chinese watercolor in both domestic and global contexts. He believes that, “Chinese watercolor will lead the trend in the global art circle.”

Opening hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday, closed on Mondays (No admission after 4:30 p.m.) 

Add: 38 Yanyu Road, Ersha Island, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong （广州市越秀区二沙岛烟雨路38号广东美术馆）

Enquiries: 020-87351468

(The writer Wang Haiying is the curator and a researcher for the exhibition “Traces of Mind: Paintings by Ye Xianmin.”)