China-Dutch art exhibition held in Netherlands to mark anniversary of ties

THE HAGUE, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese and Dutch artists held an art exhibition here on Saturday to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between China and the Netherlands.

Co-organized by the China Cultural Center in The Hague and Pulchri Studio, the exhibition features 50 artworks with artists from each country contributing 25 pieces of art. The artworks included traditional and contemporary paintings, calligraphy, sculptures and art installations.

"An artistic work is valuable ... I believe art can bring people closer -- people from the east and west, people from developing and developed countries, Chinese and Dutch," Chinese Ambassador to the Netherlands Tan Jian said at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

The ambassador hoped that the exhibition would bring closer the two nations and promote exchanges and cooperation between the artists of the two countries.

The organizers of the exhibition have overcome the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and spent a year preparing for it, the exhibition's curator Zhou Lesheng told Xinhua.

Dutch artists are very interested in the works of Chinese artists, Zhou said, expressing the hope that more similar exhibitions could be held in the future to further promote exchanges between Chinese and Dutch artists.

Bob Bonies, a renowned Dutch artist and art educator, told Xinhua that he was very happy to appreciate the works of Chinese artists, which reflect Chinese cultural heritage and the accomplishments of the artists.

Bonies said that he has visited China several times and is impressed by the "amazing and fantastic" development of modern Chinese art, which holds "very high international standards."