Abstract: The subject of the study is the peculiarities of modern art and pedagogical education in Russia and China. The aim is to determine the specifics of the methodology of teaching contemporary art to Chinese and Russian students – future art teachers in Russian and Chinese universities. The article discusses the features of teaching this discipline in the largest art and pedagogical universities of Russia and China at the beginning of the XXI century. The research methodology is based on the provisions of pedagogy and psychology, the specifics, theory and methodology of art and pedagogical education. To achieve this goal, methods such as theoretical analysis of sources related to the teaching of contemporary art in universities in Russia and China, comparison of curricula and programs in them, pedagogical observation of students' activities were used.   The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that it highlights and summarizes specific features in the teaching of contemporary art in Chinese and Russian art and pedagogical institutions of higher education based on the analysis of curricula and projects of the Herzen Russian State Pedagogical University and Moscow State Pedagogical University, as well as Beijing Pedagogical University and Peking University. As a result, the process of integrating contemporary art into the practice of Chinese and Russian pedagogical universities is shown; the features of interaction of students in educational activities with current artistic practices as a way of mastering the world art experience and its reflection. The conclusions of the author of the publication are that in order to optimize the process of acquaintance of students with contemporary art, both Russian and Chinese art and pedagogical universities offer them to conduct creative experiments with new materials, forms and means of expression as part of their independent work, as well as interact in specially organized spaces with the work of current artists.