US art show inspires East-West exchanges

SAN FRANCISCO - An exhibition on the art of 18th-century Europe at a local museum is expected to inspire visitors to reflect on the exchanges between East and West, a top executive of the museum says.

The ongoing exhibition, entitled Casanova: The Seduction of Europe, presents the cultural and social world of Europe during the Age of Enlightenment with one of its most colorful characters, an Italian man named Giacomo Casanova who lived from 1725 to 1798, as a guide.

Through more than 80 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, period furnishings and delicate porcelain pieces, the exhibition, which runs through May 28 at the Legion of Honor Art Museum in downtown San Francisco, recreates the world of masked balls, palaces, theaters and operas at that time.