Kunming welcomes back French artist

Claude Viallat's solo show sees his return to city where his style made an impact on art scene, Deng Zhangyu reports.

More than two decades ago, in 1999 to be precise, French abstract artist Claude Viallat held his solo show at Kunming Museum in Kunming, Yunnan province, at a time when most Chinese artists rarely had opportunities to travel overseas and experience contemporary Western art. During this show, Viallat drew a Chinese dragon with a pencil on a poster.

Twenty-five years later, Viallat's work returns to Kunming at the Contemporary Gallery Kunming, directed by Nie Rongqing, who was also the designer of Viallat's 1999 show and the show's posters. Nie is also the owner of the dragon drawing which he collected at that time.

"I never imagined that my gallery will hold Viallat's show. Everything seems predestined," says Nie.