The four-storey building with organic outlines resembles a huge marine animal, the similarity is enhanced by the cladding of the facades with blue-gray natural stone, the gleaming panels of which give the impression of iridescent skin.
The interior space is filled with light: white exhibition halls and lobby spaces blend seamlessly into each other; they are set off by wall surfaces made of unpainted concrete or dark gray granite.
In total, the building has almost 15 thousand square meters. m area on four ground and two underground levels. It houses galleries of permanent and temporary exhibitions, a storehouse for 13,000 works of the museum collection, art workshops, auditoriums, conference rooms, a café and a bookstore.
The Museum of the Central Academy of Arts of the PRC was founded in the early 1960s, just before the start of the Cultural Revolution. It contains works by old masters and leading contemporary artists, as well as the best works of students - graduates of the Academy. The collection is composed of sections of traditional Chinese painting, oil painting, engraving, sculpture and arts and crafts, as well as ancient bronze vessels and ceramics.
