BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- An exposition will be held in Beijing on May 28 to commemorate Konstantin Mefodyevich Maximov, a Soviet Union artist who taught in China more than 50 years ago.

    Thirty works by Maximov will be shown for the first time in China during the three day exhibition. Twenty other pieces by 15 well-known Russian artists will also be on display. The works are valued at 80 million yuan (around 10.44 million U.S. dollars).

    "Maximov will never be forgotten by the Chinese people," said Zhou Bo, an expert in fine arts history with the Central Institute of Fine Arts (CIFA).

    He said that Maximov came to China in 1955 and gave lessons to19 young artists at CIFA. These 19 students later became New China's first-generation artists, including Jin Shangyi, now president of Chinese Artists' Association.

    Zhou said that during his two-year stay in China, Maximov helped CIFA draw up teaching guidelines based on the Soviet teaching methods.

    Zhou stressed that Maximov taught Chinese artists to be innovative and create their own style by making good use of Chinese characteristics.

    "Each one of us has got something useful from teacher Maximov," said Wei Chuanyi, who is now a veteran arts educator in south China's Fujian Province.

    Zhou Bo said that Maximov produced quite a number of works together with his Chinese students. "Such works not only symbolize the China-Soviet Union friendship in 1950s, but also offered vivid teaching material."

    Maximov, born in 1913 to a poor farm family, died in 1993. He was honored with the Soviet Union's highest artistic prizes twice.

    The show will be held in a local gallery specializing in Russian art. Lectures will also be held at CIFA, Tsinghua University and Beijing Normal University.