The immense collection of the National Art Museum of China includes several pieces that are considered iconic. Among them is Refugees, Jiang Zhaohe's compassionate depiction of a people and a country suffering during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45).
One of the preeminent artists of 20th-century China, Jiang Zhaohe (1904-86) left an oeuvre that integrates the precision and dimensions of Western techniques with the shading and layering of classic Chinese painting.
A star work in the Chinese auction market, Thousands of Hills in a Crimsoned View by well-known Chinese artist Li Keran (1907-89), set a record again on November 15 by selling for 184 million yuan ($28.7 million), more than 30 times the price it was sold for in 2000.