The 2nd China International Art Work Exposition will be held in Beijing from Nov. 22 to 26, with 10 arts institutes from guest nation Italy showing nearly 100 works.

The organizers said here Tuesday that arts agencies and individual collectors from France, Germany and Russia will also attend the exhibition.

Zhang Xinjian, vice-chairman of the organizing committee with the Chinese Ministry of Culture (MOC), said reputable Chinese art galleries that have been approved by the MOC will attend the exhibition to promote works by modern Chinese artists, especially young ones.

"Experts will examine all the art works on show to ensure the high quality and credibility of the exposition," Zhang said. MOC experts at the exhibition will help individual collectors evaluate their collection and give lectures on how to collect.

Zhang said he hoped the exposition would focus more on trade than on display and that it could compete with other art exhibitions in the world.

The first exposition held last year attracted 75 arts agencies from China, Russia, the Republic of Korea and Japan and showed more than 3,000 art works, notching up sales of 150 million yuan (around US$21 million).

(Xinhua News Agency July 4, 2007)