African wood carving enjoys an international reputation of having a bold, passionate and unadorned style. They even played an important role in INSPIRING modern artists like Pablo Picasso. An exhibition dedicated to the art form has opened over the weekend at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. Shen Li reports.

Entitled "Tree of Life", the exhibition features over 100 pieces gathered from Tanzania, Mozambique, Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, Ghana, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Emphasis is placed on the mask carvings that play an important role in ritual activities, the portrait carvings that represent the secular life of Africans and the shetani and cloud themed carvings that embody the unique world views and perceptions of African artists.

WU WEISHAN DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ART MUSEUM OF CHINA "China and Africa are both birthplaces of human civilization. They both have a long history and diverse cultural forms. The National Art Museum of China has collected over 300 hundred pieces of wood carving and bronze sculptures of different periods in Africa with high historical and artistic values. In 1999, we co-hosted an exhibition of African wood carving with the Ministry of Culture, it was the largest African art exhibition by then, which displayed sculptures from eleven African countries. That was the beginning and we're proud to present the artworks again."

The presentation also features two Picasso paintings, "Man and woman by a flower vase" and "Man with a Pipe", as African sculptures have greatly influenced western modern art.

Over the past century, the uniqueness of the African culture and art was very influential in the development of western modern art, offering inspiration to numerous artists including Picasso and Henri Matisse.

WU WEISHAN DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ART MUSEUM OF CHINA "During the early 1900s, the aesthetics of traditional African sculpture became a powerful influence among European artists who formed an avant-garde in the development of modern art. We arranged the two Picasso pieces alongside the African sculptures, so visitors can compare the two genres and maybe they will find some interesting connections."

For visitors, the raw energy of these imaginative artworks from the African continent has been eye-opening.

"I think their portrait of people's daily lives is so real and touching. Mother nursing the child, man fishing, simple but powerful."

"I've never seen African sculptures here in China on this scale. Very impressive, especially the hollow ones."

"Tree of Life" runs at the National Art Museum of China until January 22nd, 2019. SL, CGTN.