The past, with flying colors

Barbey used the two photos side by side in Color of China, a collection of photos that the Paris-based photographer took in China between the early 1970s and 2018.Released in April, the Chinese-language work is a vivid portrait documenting the course of the nation's development over the past four decades, offering both a grand historic account and a personal perspective of China.

The photo capturing the moment from Li's childhood featured in Color of China is on show at Barbey's solo exhibition of the same name, which runs at the National Art Museum of China through Sunday.

The exhibition and the publication of the book coincide with the 70th anniversary of the founding of People's Republic of China, which will be officially celebrated on Oct 1.

Barbey is also among several members of the French Academy of Fine Arts, one of the five academies of the Institut de France, whose artworks have been exhibited at the Beijing museum this year. These shows mark this year's 55th anniversary of the formal establishment of Sino-French diplomatic relations.

In one section of the exhibition, photos depicting China's modern, rapidly-urbanizing cityscapes are projected onto large screen. Another section displays the color images that Barbey captured during his first two visits to the country in 1973 and 1980, including the photo of Li's accordion lessons, which evoke a strong feeling of nostalgia among visitors. They are part of a donation of 70 photos by Barbey to the museum.