A man sculpture displayed at the "Boldini -Master of the Belle époque Painting Exhibition" on July 19. [Photo/Chinanews.com]

The "Boldini-Master of the Belle époque Painting Exhibition" opened at the China Millennium Monument on July 19, displaying for the first time precious pieces of artwork painted by Boldini and another nine artists of the same era, including oil paintings, sculptures and water color.

Jointly run by the Beijing World Art Museum, Museum Bureau of Italian Cultural Heritage Activity and Tourism Ministry, Ferrara Art Foundation, and the Ferrara Modern Art Gallery, the exhibition brings us 54 selected paintings from the Uffizi Gallery, the Palazzo Pitti Modern Art Gallery, the Giovanni Boldini Museum of Ferrara, the National Gallery of Parma and other renowned Italian museums and galleries.

Xie Jinying, director of the Bureau for External Cultural Relations of China's Ministry of Culture, Guan Qiang, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Wang Limei, director of the Beijing World Art Museum and Dario Franceschini, minister of Italian Cultural Heritage Activity and Tourism Ministry, and other guests attended the opening ceremony.

The "Belle époque" refers to the specific time at the turning point of the 19th and 20th centuries, when European culture, art and lifestyle rapidly developed and women status began to improve; therefore it is also known as the "Golden Time".

Giovanni Boldini, a famous painter at that time, was an expert at drawing portraits of passion and energy.