Jin Shangyi's painting on show, Tajik Bride. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The exhibition, which runs through Sunday, showcases a selection of portraits and sketches from the donation and also a donation in 2008 that included 39 paintings.

"Why am I doing this (making donations)? It is simple. Being an artist, I think art museums are the best destination for my works," Jin says.

"Also, I take great interest in the development of the National Art Museum of China. And I value its existence."

He says art museums saw a late start in China and it was not until 2010 that the construction of public art museums, some founded by private institutions and collectors, had boomed.

"In light of this development, I hope to donate my works as a contribution to Chinese art museums," Jin says.

The ongoing exhibition showcases some of the most iconic portraits from Jin's output so far, as the man in his 80s still endeavors to paint. And the works offer close contact with several "faces" which are featured in books, magazines and catalogs.

One of the works on show is called Tajik Bride, and in it Jin portrays an ethnic Tajik woman dressed in a wedding outfit.

He did the painting in 1983, based on the sketches he prepared when traveling in 1981 in the Xinjing Uygur autonomous region, which is home to the Tajik people.

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