One highlight of the exhibition is British painter and sculptor Frederick Lord Leighton's 1871 work "Greek Girls Picking up Pebbles by the Sea".

masterpiece of decorative charm, the painting carries no real subject or heavy message but instead features a group of women arranged in a pleasing and harmonious composition.

Another key piece is "The Roses of Heliogabalus" by Anglo-Dutch academician Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. The piece juxtaposes the pageantry of rose petals in different pinks and the Roman emperor's unceasing enjoyment of watching people choked by the enormous quantities of flowers.

The 19th century was a time when diverse art forms including neoclassicism, academic and Pre-Raphaelite art blossomed. The exhibition offers not only a feast for the eyes but also a chance for Chinese artists to rethink European art and its relevance to the contemporary.

The show will stay in Beijing for three months. Then, it will be exhibited in Shanghai, Changsha and Guangzhou.

The 100 masterpieces are works similar to those found in collections in the world's most prestigious art museums. (Photo: CCTV.com)