An exhibition featuring over 40 artworks by Chinese artist Chen Jialing, a prominent figure of the "Shanghai School" painters, opened Friday at the Réfectoire des Cordeliers in Paris, France.

For his very first exhibition in France, Chen, a Shanghai-based painter and a professor at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, presents a collection of previously unseen ink paintings, ceramic works and silk thread tapestries, some produced in the late 1990s and most created for the exhibition.
Echoing the geographical resemblance of Shanghai and Paris, two cities built on the banks of water (the Seine and the Huangpu), the exhibition focuses on the river as a theme. It will run through April 21.
Chen said he felt honored to be able to hold his first exhibition in France in a year when the city will host the Olympics and celebrates the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, and that he hopes to contribute to the artistic exchange between the two countries.
"So I think the exhibition is an artistic outcome of suitable timing with harmony of people and nature. So this is not just a display of artworks, but it also gives me a sense of mission accomplishment."
Chen said.
Benoit Guidee, director for Asia and Oceania at the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France and former consul general of France in Shanghai, said in an interview with China Central Television (CCTV) that Chen's works brought him back to the past when he was in China.
He also stressed the crucial role that people-to-people exchanges has been playing in promoting the exchanges between China and France.
"What's most important is still people-to-people exchanges. It is an interaction between two societies and among literati, artists and young people. China-France cultural exchanges have extended for centuries. For example, in the 18th century, all French thinkers had shown the greatest passion to study and promote Chinese culture," he said.
The exhibition is organized by CCTV Europe, the Shanghai International Culture Association and the Shanghai United Media Group.