Yu Hong's 'The Ark' anchors exhibition bridging New York and Beijing art academies

An exhibition titled 'From Beijing' at the New York Academy of Art showcases works by faculty from Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts, highlighting unexpected aesthetic connections between the two institutions. The show features Yu Hong's monumental 2012 painting 'The Ark,' a 250 x 600 cm acrylic on canvas depicting internet-sourced figures floating on a gold background in a contemporary leisure scene. While the New York Academy was founded in 1982 by figures including Andy Warhol and Tom Wolfe to preserve traditional techniques, CAFA dates to the early People's Republic era and once championed scientific socialist realism. Both schools now blend historical methods with contemporary discourse, with NYAA positioning itself where traditional skills meet modern conversation. The exhibition runs through February 17 at 111 Franklin Street in Manhattan. David Cohen's review notes visual parallels between Yu Hong's floating figures and the work of NYAA instructor Eric Fischl, whose 1980s paintings featured decadent mariners. More than two dozen CAFA School of Fine Art faculty members are represented in this cross-cultural exchange.