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)