艺术家方力钧（b.1963）个展《方力钧：面孔与陶瓷》于2023年10月14日在牛津大学阿什莫林博物馆（Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology Oxford）开幕，并于10月15日起对公众开放，展期半年。展览由阿什莫林博物馆中国艺术策展人、牛津大学亚洲与中东研究系副教授马熙乐教授（Prof. Shelagh Vainker）担任策展人。牛津大学阿什莫林博物馆是英国第一个公共博物馆，同时也是世界规模最大、藏品最丰富的一座大学博物馆。它的形成标志着近代博物馆的诞生。 此次展览是艺术家方力钧在英国的首个公共博物馆个展。
《方力钧：面孔与陶瓷》展出了艺术家方力钧自20世纪70年代末学生时代起至今多达百幅的标志作品，涉及素描、油画、水墨、木刻版画、陶瓷雕塑、瓷板画、及纪录实验影像等多种材质与媒介类型。展出作品由艺术家工作室、知名公共机构及私人藏家共同提供。展览开幕式、研讨会、开幕招待酒会及晚宴由阿什莫林博物馆及牛津大学新学院共同主办，云端睿聚、凯旋画廊为展览提供全程支持，泸州老窖·国窖1573为展览提供品牌赞助。
展览开幕式上阿什莫林博物馆馆长亚历山大·斯特吉斯博士（Dr. Alexander Sturgis）、策展人马熙乐教授先后致辞。馆长斯特吉斯博士致辞：“我们非常荣幸能够在阿什莫林博物馆为如此重要的一位当代艺术家举办个展，感谢各位的付出，同时也要感谢此次展览的各方支持。” 开幕研讨会上，方力钧与知名当代艺术策展人大卫·埃利奥特（David Elliott）对谈，共同回顾艺术家的艺术历程、创作生涯及重要影响，在对谈中，埃利奥特说：“深刻了解方力钧的艺术生活以及他作品背后的社会背景，对于了解中国当代艺术和中国社会，具有极其重要的意义。”
开幕的酒会和晚宴在牛津大学新学院（New College）中世纪大厅进行，牛津大学新学院院长杨名皓（Miles Young）代表学院欢迎前来参加展览开幕的嘉宾们：“我十分荣幸与方力钧先生相识多年，他确实是一位标志性的艺术家，他的作品是20世纪末和21世纪初中国的经典象征，就像安迪·沃霍尔的作品是20世纪美国的象征一样。在我看来，方力钧是真正的艺术家，以如此多元的方式探索艺术，与此同时他也在艺术教育上全情投入。今晚我还要衷心感谢英国驻华大使吴若兰女士（HMA Dame Caroline Wilson）的到来，这充分说明了此次展览的重要性，以及中英双方对文化交流的重视。”
包括英国驻华大使吴若兰女士、牛津大学艺术学院院长伊恩·基亚尔（Ian Kiaer）博士在内超过近百位来自中国、英国、法国、西班牙、葡萄牙、瑞士、日本的文化艺术界的嘉宾出席了开幕日活动。
Fang Lijun: Portraits and Porcelain
Artist: Fang Lijun Curator: Prof. Shelagh Vainker Exhibition Advisor: Dr. Lei Ying Duration: 15th October 2023 – 14th April , 2024 Venue: Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
The solo exhibition Fang Lijun: Portraits and Porcelain by Fang Lijun (b. 1963) was inaugurated at the Ashmolean Museum of Art & Archaeology Oxford on 14th October 2023. The exhibition has opened to the public from October 15th for six months. The exhibition is curated by Prof. Shelagh Vainker, Curator of Chinese Art at the Ashmolean Museum and Associate Professor of Chinese Art in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford. The Ashmolean Museum is recognized as the first public museum in the English-speaking world and one of the earliest and largest university museums with the richest collection in the world. The formation of Ashmolean Museum marks the beginning of modern museums. Its establishment marked a seminal moment in the emergence of modern museum history. This exhibition is the first solo exhibition of Fang Lijun at public museum in Britain.
The exhibition Fang Lijun: Portraits and Porcelain showcases hunderds of iconic works by Fang Lijun, from his student days in the late 1970s to the present. The exhibited works encompass drawings, oil paintings, works on paper, woodcut prints, porcelain, porcelain paintings and experimental art education video. The exhibited art works are loaned to the Museum on courtesy of Fang Lijun Studio, public and private collections. The opening events of the exhibition including the opening remarks, symposium, reception, and dinner are jointly hosted by the Ashmolean Museum and New College, University of Oxford. The exhibition is supported by Clouds Intelligence and Triumph Gallery, and Luzhou Laojiao · Guojiao 1573 provides the brand support.
Dr Alexander Sturgis, Director of the Ashmolean Museum, and Professor Shelagh Vainker, Curator of the exhibition, delivered speeches at the opening ceremony. Dr Sturgis addressed, "We are very honoured to be able to present a solo exhibition of such an important artist at the Ashmolean Museum, and we thank you all for your dedication and appreciate the support from all parties involved in this exhibition." Following the symposium, Fang Lijun had a dialogue with David Elliott, the renowned curator of contemporary art curator wherein they collectively retraced the artist's artistic odyssey, career milestones, and substantial influences. “A deep understanding of Fang Lijun's artistic life and the social background behind his work is of great significance to understanding Chinese contemporary art and Chinese society.”Emphasized by David Elliott.
The opening reception and dinner were held at New College, University of Oxford. At the dinner, Mr. Miles young, Warden of New College welcomed the guests worldwide and remarked: "I had the great pleasure of knowing Mr. Fang Lijun for some years. His work seems as much symbolic of the late twentieth and early twenty first century in China as Andy Warhol is of twentieth century America to me. He has always seen an artist who is truly Prometheus, pushing the boundaries of technique in so many innovative ways. He is also someone who is immensely generous in the development of young artists and art education. I also want to welcome HMA Caroline Wilson, his majesty's ambassador to China. The fact that you are here and have made a huge effort about the importance of this event and about the support of cultural exchange between UK and China.”
Over 100 guests from China, UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, and Japan, including the British Ambassador to China, and Dr Ian Kiaer, Director of Ruskin School of Fine Arts attended the opening events.
