Virtual Van Gogh

[Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

"Anyone can use the images of Van Gogh and his artworks to make a presentation. But we have the originals and can make replicas of a very high level of resolution," says the managing director, sitting beside Willem van Gogh, the great grandson of the painter's brother and an adviser to the museum board, who also came to the press conference to announce the show's debut in Beijing.

Although many Chinese art lovers will be disappointed not to see actual Van Gogh pieces, Donszelmann is confident that next year's show will be a hit here, because all the copies to be displayed are based on the original artworks from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which claims to have the largest collection of the master's works, including 200 paintings.

One of the most visited museums in the Netherlands, the museum attracts about 1.6 million guests every year. That's almost its maximum capacity, so in 2012, museum officials began to create the traveling show to enable people across the world to learn more about Van Gogh.

Many promoters from the United States, Japan, South Korea and European countries had approached the museum about organizing such a show worldwide. A Hong Kong-based company, Wai Chun Culture, finally won the bid.

Lam Ching Kui, chairman of Wai Chun Culture, says after his company got the license it decided to have the world premiere in Beijing. So far, his company has invested more than 100 million yuan ($16 million) in the project.