World Treasures Gather at Shanghai Expo
By admin on 2015-01-07

With classic and modern artworks from around the world in many pavilions, the Shanghai World Expo will offer a creative feast for international and Chinese art enthusiasts alike.

Exhibits in the French Pavilion include paintings by masters Paul Cezanne, Pierre Bonnard, Vincent Van Gogh, Jean- Francois Millet, Manet Edouard, Paul Gauguin and a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin.

The masterpieces, The Dance Hall in Arles by Van Gogh, The Balcony by Edouard, Woman with Co_ ee Pot by Cezanne, The Bananas by Gauguin, La Loge by Bonnard, The Angelus by Millet and The Age of Bronze by Rodin, are rare to see for ordinary art lovers.

With each piece valued at about 100 million euros ($ 134 million), the works will be displayed the Expo's opening on May 1 until the close on October 31, according to Franck Serrano, spokesman for the French Pavilion.

"It is a very precious chance for art lovers," Serrano told Global Times in an e-mail interview. "Art is an international language, and we hope that our visitors will enjoy the moment and will be inspired by such masterpieces," he said.

The French Pavilion will also present a wide range of works by Chinese contemporary artists like Zhao Wuji (Zao Wou-ki), Yan Pei-Ming and Chen Zhen, whose works build a bridge between French and Chinese cultures.

All of them are established Chinese contemporary artists, and have worked a long time in France where they have been greatly inspired by the culture.

Danish mermaid

Aside from classic and contemporary works in the French Pavilion, the statue of The Little Mermaid, a national treasure of Denmark, will also be displayed during the Expo.

It is the first time the statue, which sits in Copenhagen harbor, was sent out of the country since it was sculpted more than 90 years ago. The 1.5-meterhigh statue was built to commemorate Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen, who wrote the fairytale of a mermaid willing to sacrifi ce herself to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince. It is a major tourist attraction in Denmark, with thousands of visitors annually.

It arrived in Shanghai earlier this month, and will be set at the center of a custommade pool in the Danish Pavilion.

A wide range of Chinese traditional and modern works will be another highlight at the Expo, which includes eight national treasures chosen from across the country in order to capture the essence of China's achievements in art, technology and culture over thousands of years.

These include works from the Warring States (475BC-221BC) and Qin Dynasty (221bc-206BC), the peak of classic Chinese bronze production.

An ancient bell set, representative of Chu Culture from the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476 BC) and Warring States will also be showcased.

The bells will be played during the Expo from 9 pm to 10 am daily. Among other masterpieces on display is also a bronze fi gure from Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) showing traditional Chinese acupuncture points.

Other treasures to be displayed during the Expo include a piece of bronze relief with the statue of Saint Jan Nepomucky, a national treasure of the Czech Republic, and precious stone carvings displayed at the Africa Pavilion, which will hold a bazaar featuring various African traditional and modern art pieces for visitors.

The famous gilded bronze statue of a lady The Monument of Rememberance, nicknamed GelleFra, will be set at the gate of the Luxembourg Pavilion. And two masterpieces, A Basket of Fruit and Boy with a Basket of Fruit, the representative works of Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti, will meet with Chinese audience in the Italian pavilion during the Expo.