Wang Guangyi. "Great Criticism- Partagas" 2005

Visitors to the exhibition are greeted by a sculpture of a large golden astronaut with a missing finger by Sheng Qi,  followed by provocative paintings, prints and numerous images mixing photography and other media. Sheng Qi, who after the events of Tiananmen, cut off his finger and buried it in a flower-pot before leaving China only to return to his country years later.

Feng Zhengjie, portrait chinois, série L 2007, n° 10, 2007

Chinese artists began to experiment with Western techniques, during the late '70s. A key movement - termed "scar painting" - addressed a number of painful issues, such as the destruction and sense of loss generated by the Cultural Revolution. In Xiamen, artists even launched a local "neo-Dada" faction! In September 1979, the "Stars" group attracted a lot of attention in the West, with a breakthrough show held on the street, in front of Beijing's National Art Gallery. Although, to Western eyes, the works were far from avant-garde, this informal exhibition was banned by the authorities and interrupted by the police, two days after its opened. Several of the artists involved in this "happening" - such as Wang Keping - now live and work in France.

The swift economic modifications of the 1990s have shifted the visual emphasis of artists like Wang-Guangyi - who relies on idealized poster imagery harking back to the Cultural Revolution - to consumerism. The clash between capitalist and communist ideology has resulted in new styles dubbed "Political Pop" and "Cynical Realism," both distinctly remniscent of Pop Art.

The "China Gold exhibition at the Maillol Museum represents a unique opportunity to take a look at the way China's artists are reacting to the immense changes their society is currently undergoing.

"China Gold," to October 13, Musee Maillol, Fondation Dina Vierny, 56-61, rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris  http://www.museemaillol.com