Impressionists going to China

A French Impressionist collection with masterpieces from Degas, Manet, Renoir and Monet is heading to China in a major cultural exchange with France.

“This is a very rare exhibition in Asia. The paintings are the herald of Modernism in art,” said Christina Chu, chief curator of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, which has never shown such a valuable exhibit of Western art.

The paintings from the Musee d’Orsay in Paris will be flown aboard five separate airplanes to ensure that all would not be lost in an accident. The display will open in Beijing in October, moving to Shanghai in December and to Hong Kong in February.