Colors, constitute the most eternal language of visual art. It is unnecessary to repeatedly blend them, and they can present brightness and tension in time and space, forming order and a sense of light. Just like the pointillism technique, tiny dots of color can be perceived by the viewers. Points blend visually in space, converging into light and shadow in the eyes and mind of the audience, transforming into form and spirit.

On April 24, 2026, Yu Yang, Vice President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), met with a visiting delegation from Assumption University of Thailand. The two sides engaged in in-depth discussions on China–Thailand cooperation in art education and future development, reaching broad consensus on a range of areas including disciplinary development, teaching collaboration, academic research, cultural exchange, faculty and student mobility, and student exchange programs.

On April 16, 2026, H.E. Bruno Angelet, Ambassador of Belgium to China, and El-Asmar Nedda, President of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, led a delegation to visit the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). Lin Mao, President of CAFA, met with the guests. The two sides held in-depth discussions on China–Belgium cooperation in art education and future development, exchanging views on teaching innovation, academic research, artistic creation, cultural exchange, and student mobility.

On April 1, 2026, the 108th anniversary of the founding of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, the opening and donation ceremony of "No Smooth Path to the Summit—The Exhibition of Works by Li Xingjian" was held at the Academic Lecture Hall of the CAFA Art Museum. Selected as part of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's "2025 National Art Works Collection and Donation Reward Program," this project was also the largest private donation that the Central Academy of Fine Arts has received over the past decade.

Integrating multiple media with environmental elements, "Echoes of a Voyage" is a featured program by Lyu Zhi-Qiang, a driver and owner of an old Jetta car, DJ and sound collector, as well as a teacher who imparts "principles" at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Lyu presented a concert themed on "Eerawai" at CAFA Art Museum on March 18, through which he invited visitors to immerse themselves in a sensory journey woven from light, shadow and sound. 

Guided by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, hosted by the China Artists Association, and co-organized by the Art Center of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, with support from the Fashion Design Art Committee of the China Artists Association, the Art Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and the China Fashion Designers Association, the China Artists Association "Youth Art Talent Program -Fashion 100" has unveiled its core achievements at CAFA Art Museum. This was the first time that the China Artists Association has incorporated fashion design into its key talent cultivation system.

On March 15, 2026, the “Slow and Fast: Netherlands Architectural Design Seminar” was held at the School of Architecture, Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). Architects and scholars from the architectural practice and education of both the Netherlands and China gathered at CAFA to engage in discussions on the theme of “slow and fast” in contemporary architectural practice and education.

At the recent Internationale Handwerksmesse (IHM) – International Trade Fair for Crafts and Design – held in Munich, Germany, Chinese artists Wei Zixin and Wang Zhipeng were awarded the Bavarian State Prize for Crafts and the Herbert Hofmann Prize respectively. These are two of the most prestigious international honors in contemporary jewelry art.

On March 16, 2026, a delegation led by Ken Neil, Vice President of the Royal College of Art (RCA), visited the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). President Lin Mao met with the guests, and the two sides exchanged views on deepening cooperation in art education and promoting cultural exchange between the two institutions.

On the afternoon of March 9, 2026, Professor Chiara Paolino, Director of the International Art Management Department at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy, and her delegation visited the College of Humanities of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), embarking on a cross-cultural journey of intangible cultural heritage experience and exchange dialogue.

From February 20 to March 5, 2026, with the approval of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), the program “Masterclass with a World-Class Artist — Antonio López García Masterclass” was successfully held in Spain. The program was coordinated by the CAFA International Art Education Exchange Center and organized by the Oil Painting Department.

Recently, the winners of the iF Design Award 2026 were officially announced. The project “Texture Axis” (TEXTURE AXIS), designed by a team led by teacher Pan Jingru from the School of Design at Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), received the prestigious award.

On February 9, the Year of the Horse celebration themed "Galloping Forward with the United Nations" was held at the UN Headquarters. The event was attended by Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations Ambassador Fu Cong, Deputy Permanent Representative Ambassador Sun Lei, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed and 12 other UN Under-Secretaries-General, representatives to the UN from more than 120 countries, and over 500 guests from various sectors in the eastern United States.

Recently, at the invitation and with the support of the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in China, a delegation of faculty and students from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) visited the UAE to carry out a program of on-site sketching, field research, and artistic exchange. This initiative was conducted within the framework of the Belt and Road cultural exchange mechanism and represents an important component of CAFA’s ongoing efforts to promote China–UAE youth art exchange programs.

On January 25, Lin Mao, President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), met with a delegation led by Ms. Renata Cristina Mazzantini, Director of the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, Rome. The meeting focused on cultural exchange between China and Italy, professional collaboration between art institutions, and potential future partnerships, laying a solid foundation for deeper cooperation.

On January 21, 2026, Lin Mao, President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), met with Jean-François Larrieu, President of the TAYLOR Foundation, and his delegation. The two sides engaged in in-depth and productive discussions on promoting mutual artistic understanding between China and France and advancing institutional collaboration. They explored potential cooperation in areas including joint curatorial projects, artist residencies, academic exchange, and public art initiatives.

The bookplate, or ex-libris, which is an adaptation from the Latin generally taken to mean 'from the books of', used to be a mark of possession that the book lover pastes in his books, usually on the inside of the front cover, to denote his ownership. It was originally used to mark the gift and ownership of manuscript books in Germany about 1480. The earliest English bookplate dates circa 1520, the earliest French design circa 1574, whilst in America the date is circa 1642. One of the sixteenth century English bookplates was made for no less a personage than Sir Nicholas Bacon, the father of Sir Francis Bacon. 

On the stage of the 2025 CCTV Science Gala, leading scientists and industry pioneers gathered — alongside a special guest from the arts: Lin Mao, President of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). With imagination-driven storytelling, he explored the moment when technology and art converge at the “peak.”

The exhibition Qian Xinye: Overseas Residency Project Review opened at 3:00 p.m. on December 23, 2025, at the Ink Laboratory Gallery (Basement Level, Building 5) of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA). Initiated by CAFA’s School of Chinese Painting, the exhibition presents the latest outcomes of the school’s international residency program.

In December, the School of Calligraphy at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) organized two cultural exchange activities for international exchange students from Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Bangladesh, offering them an immersive introduction to Chinese calligraphy and seal carving.