[Photo provided to China Daily]

In 2005, the exhibition held a small retrospective tour of the world to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Apart from the Beijing retrospective, Documenta will set up a Chinese website and a research center for the exhibition at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, a top art college in China.

Siebenhaar says Documenta has always made an effort to attract young people but is now facing a situation where many of the visitors in Kassel are older than 50.

According to visitor data collected by Documenta since the 1970s, visitors age 50 and above formed the majority for the first time at the exhibition's 12th edition in 2012.

Most of that audience grew up along with the art exhibition, Siebenhaar says.

But compared with art lovers in Europe, those from Asia are much younger and the growth opportunity for Documenta lies in increasing its followers in Asia, he says.

Contact the writer at dengzhangyu@chinadaily.com.cn

If you go

9:30 am-5:30 pm, through March 31. Central Academy of Fine Arts, 8 Huajiadi South Street, Chaoyang district, Beijing. 010-6477-1575.