Relics from China's Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) are being showcased at the Moscow Kremlin Museums, the first time that collections from the Shanghai Museum are presented in the Russian institute.
The exhibition, called "Ming Dynasty: The Radiance of Knowledge", kicked off earlier this month and features artifacts from a time when interest in art, literature and music was at a high in ancient China.
The exhibition will go on at the Assumption Belfry, an exhibition hall in the Patriarch's Palace in the Moscow Kremlin Museums, till July 25.
The opening ceremony was attended by Olga Golodets, vice prime minister of Russia, Sergei Ivanov, special representative of the President of Russia on the issues of environmental activities, environment and transportation, Li Hui, the Chinese ambassador to Russia, and Zhu Cheng, deputy Party secretary of the Shanghai Museum.
"The Moscow Kremlin Museums receives 2.7 million visitors every year, 1.7 million of whom are from China," Ivanov said at the opening.
The exhibition showcases 156 artifacts, including items unearthed from the Shanghai region, as well as fine ceramic ware, lacquer, furniture and paintings, presenting all aspects of the lifestyle of literati and aristocrats in the Ming Dynasty.
SAO PAULO (AP) — São Paulo is marking the opening of its famed art museum's new building with a Renoir exhibit and art lovers are already flocking to the Brazilian city.
The new, 14-story tower of Sao Paulo Museum of Art — better known as MASP after its initials and one of the country's most visited — opened its doors on March 28, bringing to completion its architectural vision 77 years after the museum was inaugurated.
The tower is named after the museum's first artistic director, Pietro Maria Bardi, and includes five exhibition galleries, two multi-purpose galleries, a restoration lab, classrooms, a restaurant, and a museum shop.
The 13 works by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir are a special draw and treat to visitors, while others come eager to see how the original red MASP building blends with the new addition on the Paulista Avenue, Brazil's most recognizable business road.
Next month, the museum will host an exhibition of works of Claude Monet, another French impressionist and an art fan favorite in Brazil.
The new building more than doubles the museum space to 7,821 square meters (84,184 square feet), increasing MASP's exhibition capacity by 66%. Its façade is made of perforated and pleated metal sheets, which add to the brutalist style conception of the original building next to it.
Construction started in 2019 and was entirely sponsored by donors who spent about 250 million Brazilian reais ($43 million) on the project, inspired by vertical museum typologies such as those in New York City, MASP said.
“MASP is the main museum in the Southern Hemisphere in terms of European art collection," said said Paulo Vicelli, MASP’s director for experience and communication. "We have more than 11,000 works; Amedeo Modigliani, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Rafael, the great masters. But also important artists from Brazil.”
“Art can transform people, the city," he added. "Everyone who comes leaves a different person.”
The original MASP building was in a different venue for 20 years but then in 1968 moved to the Paulista Avenue. The museum — a prime example of brutalism, a form characterized by exposed concrete structures, emphasis on raw materials and monumental scale — is the work of architect Lina Bo Bardi.
Over the years, it has become one of Sao Paulo's most recognizable touristic attractions.
“MASP has grown and become bigger than its building. It was necessary to push the boundaries,” said museum director Heitor Martins. “This is a historic moment. ... Two buildings form one museum.”
An underground walkway connecting the two buildings is expected to be completed in November. Until then, visitors will have to briefly step out on the busy Paulista Avenue to move from one building to the other.
Naira Regis de Moura, a 60-year old tourist from the southern city of Porto Alegre, said she was moved when she saw MASP's new tower. She came to Sao Paulo for a concert, but found a way to squeeze a museum visit into her schedule.
“This is a landmark for Brazilian art,” she said.
AP videojournalist Tatiana Pollastri in Sao Paulo, Brazil contributed to this report.
Visitors view an exhibition at the Sao Paulo Art Museum or MASP, in Sao Paulo, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
A visitor takes a photo of the "Pink and Blue - The Cahen d´Anvers Girls" painting by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, at the Sao Paulo Art Museum or MASP, in Sao Paulo, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
An aerial view of the Sao Paulo Art Museum or MASP, and its new building, the black tall tower on the left, in Sao Paulo, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
Vehicles drive past the Sao Paulo Art Museum or MASP, in Sao Paulo, Thursday, April 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)
