China National Museum of Arts will have a distinct French flavor for the next few months, as it hosts major exhibitions featuring artists from the European country.

"The Treasures of Baccarat" brings sparkling works of crystal, while filmmaker and photographer Alain Fleischer shows his multifaceted art.

Starting today, the renowned French luxury brand Baccarat, creator of crystal objects since 1764, brings 300 masterpieces to China from its heritagesome of which have never been shown outside France. Through three themes Art and Light, Art and Design and Art and the French Way of Life scenographer Jean Oddes designs the layout of the exhibition especially conceived for the Beijing Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibition runs till June 7.

Paris-born Alain Fleischer's video and photography works will also be featured at the museum from today until May 7. A filmmaker, writer and photographer, Fleischer has made over 140 films of different genres, from feature films to experimental films and the art documentaries. In 2005, his work featured in the exhibition "Paris-Shanghai, three generations of French photographers," which was held at the Shanghai Fine Arts Museum during the Year of France in China.

His work will also be exhibited at Guangdong Museum of Arts from May 16 to June 11. More of his videos will be shown at a joint-exhibition called China-France at Beijing's Dashanzi Arts Festival from April 29 to May 7, together with works by young filmmakers from France's Fresnov National Contemporary Art Studio and China's Central Academy of Fine Arts.

French artist Braco Dimitrijevic's works will be on display in an exhibit called "Memory and Oblivion," at Beijing's Guozijian, the China Imperial College from June 10 to July 10. The 56-year-old artist with Yugoslavian origins is a master of conceptual art.

(China Daily April 21, 2006)