In the lead-up to the May Day holiday, art galleries across Beijing have launched a series of new exhibitions. Ranging from masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance to national treasures from Cambodia's Angkor Wat, and from dialogues between Chinese and foreign classics to the Central Academy of Fine Arts' graduate show, the offerings feature both cross-millennia civilizational conversations and youthful expressions looking toward the future. Art enthusiasts can select according to their tastes and fully immerse themselves in a cultural feast during the holiday.
The exquisitely carved stone sculptures of Angkor Wat await visitors. As Cambodia's national treasure, the site is renowned for its grand overall layout and exceptionally refined individual structures, representing the pinnacle of Cambodian architectural art. The special exhibition "Encountering Angkor: Treasures from the National Museum of Cambodia" will open on May 1st at the Meet You Museum in Beijing's 798 Art District. Organized jointly by the Meet You Museum and the National Museum of Cambodia, the exhibition will feature over a hundred cultural relics, guiding visitors on a cultural tour of Angkor Wat and allowing them to experience Cambodia's iconic heritage without leaving the country.
Meng Zhanlakesmei, Director of the Education and Publishing Department under the Museums Department of Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, highlighted the exceptional preciousness of the artifacts on display, with stone objects constituting more than half of the exhibition. One of the key exhibits is a smiling stone sculpture head of Jayavarman VII. It meticulously depicts the monarch's appearance in his middle and late years, featuring a broad forehead, long ears, half-closed eyes, and the iconic "Khmer smile" on his lips. Furthermore, visitors can see the Harihara stone standing statue, a Cambodian national treasure unearthed from the Roluos site group.
During the exhibition setup, numerous ancient Chinese porcelain pieces from the collection of the National Museum of Cambodia were also visible on site. Meng Zhanlakesmei stated that this exhibition serves as an important testament to cultural exchange between the two nations and expressed hope that Chinese audiences would visit to experience authentic Cambodian culture up close and witness the depth and continuity of civilization.
The National Art Museum of China has extended its visiting hours. Yesterday morning, long, winding queues formed at the museum's entrance on the opening day of the exhibition "Tribute to the Masters: From da Vinci to Caravaggio – Masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance," as large crowds flocked to see the original works of Renaissance masters. To meet public demand during the May Day holiday, the museum announced that from May 1st to May 5th, daily visiting hours will be extended until 8:00 PM, with last entry at 7:00 PM. An additional 2,000 reservation slots will be available for the evening viewing period from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM each day.
The 36 Italian Renaissance masterpieces on display at the National Art Museum of China bring together classic works by over twenty artistic giants. These include da Vinci's "A Knight, a Centaur, and Soldiers in Combat," Michelangelo's "The Abduction of Ganymede," Raphael's "Portrait of a Young Man Holding an Apple," Botticelli's "Madonna and Child," and Titian's "Flora," with most being exhibited in China for the first time.
Visitors can also sense the spirit of the times in contemporary art shows. The annual art extravaganza, the 2026 Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) Graduation Season, opens tomorrow, with the "Postgraduate Graduation Works Exhibition" launching concurrently. This exhibition features 570 master's and doctoral graduates, with over a thousand works gathered in the art museum. Visitors can reserve tickets via the CAFA Art Museum mini-program, WeChat official account, or official website. The museum will maintain normal operations on Mondays throughout the graduation season.
During the May Day holiday, the 798 Art District is leveraging its artistic and cultural resources to organize a series of special events, including the 798 "Wild Art, Wild Life" Festival. The events invite domestic and international artists to turn creative inspiration into practice: Polish artist Berta Bojda will host a workshop on traditional Polish paper flower making, making the concept of "ethnic design" accessible; contemporary artist Wang Guangle and musician Peng Xiang will present an experimental opera, "Rest in the Woods," as a cross-disciplinary collaboration; in partnership with Xiaohongshu's "Folk Games," the district will host the first-ever Sculpture Cosplay Competition, inviting the public to transform into "sculptures" and unleash their creativity. Concurrently, nearly 70 art exhibitions will be on display, including the major 798CUBE show "Echo of Kairos: Double Solo Exhibition of Julien Chaissegros & Laurent Grasso," and "Ouyang Chun: Nirvana," which features representative works by two French contemporary artists, infusing the holiday "micro-getaways" for residents and tourists with rich artistic nourishment.
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