From Paris to Pudong

The exhibition marks the first collaboration between the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and MAP in Shanghai, says Stephanie de Brabander, deputy director of exhibitions and head of international exhibition projects at the French museum.

"We have brought together a large number of heavyweight artworks, spanning several important art movements in the collection of d'Orsay from Neoclassicism to Impressionism and Post-Impressionism," she says.

These include 86 paintings and 21 sculptures.

A committee at the Musee d'Orsay handpicked the artworks for the exhibition in Shanghai, aiming to cover the essence of its collection while serving the main theme of the show. The exhibition is aimed at building a cultural bridge between China and France, de Brabander says.

Aside from members of the media, MAP also invited its recently appointed exhibition recommendation officers to witness the unpacking of the two paintings.

One of them was Yuan Hong, a TV and film star turned art vlogger, who has over 370,000 followers on Bilibili alone.

"I've seen MAP presenting more great exhibitions, and this time it has brought some of the most brilliant gems of human civilization from the left bank of the River Seine to the right bank of the Huangpu River in Shanghai," he says.

"For art lovers like me, this is a great opportunity to stand face-to-face with these great artworks without having to travel all the way to Paris."