BEIJING.- Faurschou Gallery in Beijing presents Andy Warhol Portraits: Sports, Stars, and Society, on view through September 21, 2008. The exhibition’s opening was delayed due to Chinese censors try to control the capital’s appearance during the Olympic games. According to the Faurschou Gallery, the censors deemed it inappropriate to show foreign works of art during the Olympics. This exhibition includes Warhol portraits of Pele, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, boxer Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus, Chris Evert, Tom Seaver, Dorothy Hamill, among others.

Xie Ying, information director of the Chaoyang district government, stated, “It's all a misunderstanding, Beijing's government welcomes the world during the Olympics. We want to present an open society with a vibrant cultural scene.''

There is also the "Olympic Fine Arts 2008" exhibition. Hosted by the IOC and supported by the Ministry of Culture of China and BOCOG, the exhibition is a major component of the concept of the "People's Olympics" and a key task of the ministry.

Themed "China and the World" with the slogan "The arts complete the spirit of the Olympic Games," the exhibition displays a total of 800 pieces selected from about 10,000 works of more than 40 countries and regions. It aims to represent Chinese arts and seeks to symbolize the joining of the world's cultures in the Olympics.

Li Changchun, member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Political Bureau, Jacques Rogge, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president and Juan Antonio Samaranch, IOC honorary president, attended the opening ceremony and granted awards to winners of an art contest which kicked off in January for the exhibition.

The exhibition is divided into two phases: the first phase is scheduled from August 12-18 at the China International Exhibition Center; the second phase will span from August 20 to September 17 at the Beijing Working People's Cultural Palace. A smaller version is planned for a tour of China and other parts of the world later.