Paintings by Da Vinci and Michelangelo, never on public display before, will be put on show in China's National Art Gallery (NAG) from February 1 to 15, to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival, sources with the NAG said Thursday.

This show is part of the celebrations held by NAG for the Spring Festival. During the period, this top artist museum of China will stage four arts shows simultaneously for the first time.

The second show will display traditional Chinese handicraft and masterpieces by great Chinese painters.

NAG President Feng Yuan said the show of traditional Chinese handicraft will include paper cutting, paintings for Spring Festival, farmers' painting, embroidery and kites, which all reflect the traditional Chinese life style and customs. On the spot at the exhibition, well-known Chinese calligraphers and painters will write and paint for a common audience, donating part of the sale for tsunami-hit Asian countries.

According to Feng, the painting works for the Renaissance Art show were purchased by the French government with 100 million euros donated by famous French company Carrefour. As an important project for the Sino-French culture exchanges, the show chose China as the first overseas stop.

The paintings, valued at 11 million euros, will arrive in Beijing in several days, Feng said.

Feng stressed the NAG is taking every opportunity to promote Chinese arts and painters. This year, the gallery will host a series of exhibitions on works by modern painters, and the first one to start from Spring Festival will focus on Ren Bonian, Wu Changshuo, Qi Baishi and Huang Binhong.

(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2005)