An item on display. [Photo/China Daily]

Lupertz's exhibition has an "exclusive" German sponsor, Bell Art Centre, an institution that has been active in exhibiting Western art in China in recent times.

All shown works come from a private German collection called the MAP Collection. It was one of the two sources of works shown at Anselm Kiefer Coagulation, an exhibition dedicated to the art of Anselm Kiefer, 72, also a German neo-expressionist representative, held from November to January in Beijing. The Bell Art Centre was one of the organizers.

But Kiefer himself didn't attend the exhibition as he said in a statement that it was organized without his permission or involvement. His disapproval was supported by several influential international galleries representing his works, such as the Gagosian and the White Cube.