19世纪末开始，在蔡元培、王国维等学者的引介下，西方美育思想受到了中国学界的广泛关注。1912年1月，蔡元培执掌下的中华民国南京临时政府教育部设社会教育司，建设美术馆、举办美术展览会是其所掌重要事项之一。随着美育实践和研究的不断深入，美术展览会作为一种教育活动走上了历史舞台，逐渐地从私密性的内部艺术交流会或商业性的劝业会、炫奇会转变为富有教育价值的学校美术成绩展、社会美术教育展览会。研究近代中国美术展览会的教育价值，可以为当今美术教育者、美展策展人提供借鉴，更好地开展美术展览会活动，推动美育事业的发展。

1912—1937年，中国美术展览会的演进大致经历以下三个阶段：1912—1919年是美术展览会的兴起阶段。其主要特征是学校美术成绩展的涌现，举办美术展览会成为美育的重要手段，被各省市广大中小学、美专所采纳。1919—1927年是美术展览会的发展阶段。其主要特征是社团美术展览会和个人美展的兴起，社会美育价值凸显。1927—1937年是美术展览会的兴盛阶段。其主要特征是美术展览会的形式呈现多元化态势，不同主题、形式的社团展、官方展、对外展览不断涌现。

在上述发展过程中，美术展览会的教育价值不断体现。按照教育对象进行划分，美术展览会的教育价值可分为三方面。第一，对美术专业人才而言。通过观摩美术展览会，美术专业人士可以交流先进的美术知识和理念，从西洋画或古画中求取创新之法，更新中国传统画法，提高专业素养，引导中国美术走向现代化。第二，对青少年学生而言。民国时期，政府主办儿童美术成绩展，各级各类学校亦举办学校美术成绩展，共同推行美术教育。政府和学校对展览会上的佳作进行奖掖，极大地激励了学生的创造热情，引导学生展开美术创作。第三，对普通民众而言。民国时期，很多美术展览会面向社会公开。普通民众得以直接接触美术作品，认识美、欣赏美。人体美术展推动了社会审美观念的革新。各类赈灾救助美展、爱国救国美展在引领社会风尚向上向善方面发挥了重要作用，培育了普通民众的爱国主义精神。

    总的来看，近代中国美术展览会的教育价值具有双重性，既具有“教育中的价值”，也具有“教育的价值”，并表现出明显的价值秩序。极具教育价值的近代中国美术展览会不仅是中国美术现代化和教育现代化的产物，同时也推动了中国美术事业和教育事业的发展。

       Since the end of the 19th century, with the introduction of Wang Guowei, Cai Yuanpei and other scholars, western aesthetic education thoughts were been attracted extensive attention in Chinese academic circles. In January 1912, the Ministry of education of the Nanjing interim government of the Republic of China under Cai Yuanpei set up a department of social education. The construction of art galleries and the holding of art exhibitions were one of the important matters in its charge. With the deepening of aesthetic education practice and research, art exhibition, as an educational activity, stepped onto the historical stage and gradually changed from private internal art exchange meeting or commercial persuasion meeting and dazzle meeting to school art achievement exhibition and social art education exhibition with educational value. Studying the educational value of modern Chinese art exhibitions can provide reference for today's art educators and art exhibition curators, better carry out art exhibition activities and promote the development of aesthetic education.  

      From 1912 to 1937, the evolution of Chinese art exhibitions roughly experienced the following three stages: 1912-1919 was the rising stage of art exhibitions. Its main feature was the emergence of school art performance exhibitions. Holding art exhibitions became an important means of aesthetic education and was been adopted by primary and secondary schools and art colleges in various provinces and cities. 1919-1927 was the development stage of art exhibition. Its main feature was the rise of community art exhibitions and individual art exhibitions, and the prominent value of social aesthetic education. 1927-1937 was the prosperous stage of art exhibition. Its main feature was that the forms of art exhibitions were diversified, and community exhibitions, official exhibitions and foreign exhibitions with different themes and forms constantly emerged.  

      In the above development process, the educational value of art exhibitions was constantly reflected. According to the educational objects, the educational value of art exhibitions can be divided into three aspects. First, for art professionals. By observing the art exhibition, art professionals can exchange advanced art knowledge and ideas, seek innovative methods from western or ancient paintings, update Chinese traditional painting methods, improve professional quality, and guide Chinese art to modernization. Second, for young students. During the period of the Republic of China, the government sponsored children's art achievement exhibitions, and schools at all levels also held campus art achievement exhibitions to jointly promote art education. The government and schools rewarded the excellent works in the exhibition, which greatly stimulated the students' creative enthusiasm and guided the students to carry out art creation. Third, for ordinary people. During the period of the Republic of China, many art exhibitions were open to the public. To a certain extent, ordinary people can have direct contact with art works, understand and appreciate beauty. Human body art exhibition promoted the innovation of social aesthetic concept. Various art exhibitions on disaster relief and national salvation played an important role in leading the social trend to the good and cultivated the patriotism of ordinary people.

      On the whole, the educational value of modern Chinese art exhibition has duality, which has both "value in education" and "value of education", and shows an obvious value order. The exhibition is not only the product of China's modern art education and modernization, but also the product of China's art education.