The work of major modern and contemporary Italian artists has gone on show in Hong Kong at the prestigious 'Art Basel' fair, Italy's embassy in Beijing said in a statement on Thursday.
The 'Italians' exhibition boasts works from Italy's premier galleries by artists including Morandi, Fontanta and Pistoletto, according to the statement.
The foreign ministry is financing the project which has been developed by the Italian Cultural Institute in Hong Kong with the support of the embassy and the consulate general.
The show, recently described by the Financial Times of London as "a masterstroke of cultural diplomacy" amid the extraordinary challenge of the pandemic.
"A cultural institution doesn't support Italian art very often. The crisis we are living through requires new market solutions also in view of the internationalization of Italian art galleries," said Italian Cultural Institute director Stefano Fossati.
"'Italians' is an innovative way of looking at the international art market. It will allow our galleries to be featured remotely at one of the most important fairs in the world, at a moment of exponential growth of the art market in Asia," said Italy's ambassador to Beijing, Luca Ferrari.
