BEIJING, May 1, 2009 -- An exhibition celebrating the 110th birthday of master painter Li Kuchan, who lived from 1899 to 1983, is on at the Art Museum of the Beijing Fine Art Academy. All the pieces on display were the original works of the late master, many of which are to meet the public for the very first time.

An exhibition celebrating the 110th birthday of master painter Li Kuchan, who lived from 1899 to 1983, is on at the Art Museum of the Beijing Fine Art Academy.

Around 80 pieces are on show, covering a range of the bird-and-flower paintings in the free and spontaneous Xieyi(写意) - freehand brushwork - style, to the traditional Chinese paintings of mountains and water. There is also memorabilia closely associated with the great painter and calligrapher.

Li Kuchan is regarded one of the great masters of traditional Chinese painting of the twentieth century. Born into a poor peasant family, Li took up hard labor to earn his way through art school. Li was an art teacher in Beijing from 1926, notably at the Central Academy of Fine Arts from 1949 until his death in 1983.

An exhibition celebrating the 110th birthday of master painter Li Kuchan, who lived from 1899 to 1983, is on at the Art Museum of the Beijing Fine Art Academy.

He specialized in bird-and-flower paintings, capturing the spirit of the subjects through expressive calligraphy and simplified forms. He was known for his depiction of birds throughout his career. And the works of his later years were particularly free and bold.

The exhibition at the Art Museum of the Beijing Fine Art Academy runs until May the 10th.