The 14th "Le French May" arts festival began in Hong Kong with the
opening of an oil painting exhibition by Claire Basler at the main
lobby of the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Tower.
Jean-Pierre Thebault, consul-general of France in Hong Kong said
at the opening ceremony that this year's art festival will be a
milestone "as we will feature Carmen by George Bizet, one of the
best loved operas of all time. We are also particularly proud to
present an exhibition related to the art of engraving from the
Louvre Museum."
He said one exhibit for the first time outside France will be
the masterpieces: Coronelli's globes.
He said "the events we selected this year encompass a wide range
of styles and a large variety of artistic and cultural express,
from visual arts to music, classical to contemporary and cinema to
gastronomy, all meeting the highest international standards."
Basler's oil painting was solely sponsored by the Bank of China
(Hong Kong) limited. He Guangbei, vice chairman of the company
said: "this is the second time we present to you this wonderful
program of 'Le French May', but the content and style are totally
different from those of last year."
He said all of Basler's works are themed of the beauty of trees,
flowers, forests, meadows or fields, giving viewers a direct
dialogue with nature, and demonstrating its robust strength and
living harmony.
"Le French May", organized by the Consulate General of France in
collaboration with the Alliance Francaise for the past 13 years, is
now the largest French arts festival in the Asia Pacific
region.
(Xinhua News Agency May 3, 2006)