A total of 138 domestic and overseas artists have donated 177 art works to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Wu Zuoren, a well-known Chinese painter and a fine arts educator.

The works, including canvas paintings, woodcuts, traditional Chinese paintings, calligraphy, sculptures and cartoons, are on exhibition at the art gallery of the Millennium Monument in western Beijing until April 2.

Also on show are more than 70 masterpieces by Wu Zuoren.

After the exhibition, the donated exhibits will either be transferred or auctioned off. The money will go to an international fine arts fund named after the late Chinese artist, said Wu's widow, Xiao Shufang, who is also a painter.

Wu Zuoren, born in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, in 1908, was educated at Shanghai Art College and at Shanghai Nanguo Institute of Fine Arts. He also studied in France and graduated from Belgium's Royal Institute of Fine Arts. He died after an illness in Beijing on April 9, 1997.

Wu's subjects for traditional Chinese paintings are goldfish, cranes, eagles, giant and lesser pandas, yaks and camels. Wu's calligraphic works are also very popular.

"Grazing on Tibetan Grassland" in the traditional style of brushwork won Wu the Gold Medal at the Paris Grand Palace Exhibition, a French literary and art order of honor, and a top level Belgian royal honorary order.

(Xinhua News Agency March 13, 2002)