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Intruders at Paris' Orsay damage a Monet

Intruders, apparently drunk, broke into the Orsay Museum through a back door early on Sunday and punched a hole in a renowned work by Impressionist painter Claude Monet, the French culture minister said.

A surveillance camera caught a group of four to five people entering the museum, which houses a major collection of Impressionist art on the Left Bank of the French capital along the Seine River.

An alarm sounded, and the group left, but not before damaging an invaluable painting, Le Pont d'Argenteuil, Culture Minister Christine Albanel said.

"We know there were four or five people, likely four boys and a girl, who entered around midnight to 1 am, broke a door that was, perhaps, fragile," Albanel said. "It appears they were drunk. ... Someone punched the magnificent masterpiece by Monet."

No arrests were immediately made and there were no signs the group was armed, Albanel told reporters at a news conference. Albanel said the painting could be restored, but she deplored the damage.

Beijing to host overseas artists

At least 10 acclaimed international artists will be invited to spend time in Beijing next year to showcase their work and help promote outdoor art before the 2008 Olympic Games. The artists will take part in the China International Public Art Show.

The works of these artists will be on show at Beijing's tourist attractions, including the Temple of Heaven and Shichahai, next year.

The artworks will include sculptures, multi-media and performing arts, reflecting the charm of the Olympic spirit and the humanistic nature of the Beijing Olympics. Chinese and foreign artists attending the exhibition will be invited to stay in the Chinese capital for about one month to experience the local lifestyle and cultural customs and hold seminars.

Scribe's scrawling puts Parisians on same page

Upon invitation from the Paris municipal government, renowned traditional Chinese painter and calligrapher Han Bisheng will exhibit 100 works in the city over the next week.

France-China International Trade Promoting Association, Nouvelles D'europe and Tianjin Anhua Cultural Development Co co-organized the event, which aims to promote cultural exchange between France and China, and spread traditional Chinese arts.

Han began studying traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy in his childhood. Over the past 30 years, Han has cultivated his own style of calligraphy, which is a fusion of the various forms he had practiced, including the Yan regular script that was popular in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907), stele inscriptions developed during the Wei and Jin Dynasties (AD 220-420) and the seal characters of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).

His calligraphy expresses precise, regular form, which uses a perfect balance of black and white. It combines rhythm, layers and spirit to convey aesthetic feelings. In addition, his paintings fuse traditional Chinese and Western elements, and also demonstrate his unique style.

Han's works are well known both at home and abroad, and many of his pieces are collected by political leaders and given as national gifts.

China Daily-Agencies

(China Daily 10/09/2007 page18)