French May Arts Festival 2026 launches Mona Lisa exhibition

HONG KONG, May 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and French May Arts Festival, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and French May Arts Festival, with title sponsorship from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and support from the Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund under the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau, "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Meet Mona Lisa & Portraying the Renaissance" exhibition runs from 1 May to 27 July, 2026 at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum. Admission is free.

Centred on Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, the Mona Lisa, the exhibition is divided into two main sections: Meet Mona Lisa and Portraying the Renaissance. Meet Mona Lisa is an immersive multimedia experience jointly produced by the Musée du Louvre and the Grand Palais Immersif, specifically created for Hong Kong by a French creative team. The section presents the extraordinary 500-year journey of the Mona Lisa across six immersive chapters, narrated by the lady herself in a monologue that reveals the fascinating stories behind her mysterious smile. Visitors will learn how this painting – commissioned but never delivered to its patron, remaining in Leonardo's possession until his death – went on to captivate the world and become a cultural icon. The six chapters include panoramic projections blending portraits and landscapes, interactive multimedia displays that introduce Leonardo's painting techniques, playful games as well as an immersive photo booth, inviting audiences to step into the world of the Mona Lisa.

Portraying the Renaissance is curated for Hong Kong by the Musée national de la Renaissance - Château d'Écouen, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Ateliers d'art de la Réunion des Musées nationaux - Grand Palais, and the Atelier de Chalcographie du Louvre, showcasing exceptional Renaissance artworks. Most of the artifacts are being shown in Hong Kong for the first time, including as a highlight four original manuscripts by Leonardo da Vinci, allowing visitors to appreciate up close an artistic style that masterfully blends scientific rationality with aesthetic brilliance. Through a diverse range of artworks, including paintings, prints, sculptures, decorative art, and everyday objects, visitors can glimpse how this surging humanist movement permeated every aspect of daily life. Also featured are three items from the collection of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, along with paintings by mainland Chinese artist Xu Lei that echo the aesthetics of Renaissance art, creating a dialogue across time and space and underscoring the enduring influence of a cultural movement that originated in 14th-century Europe.

Ms. Pansy Ho, Co-Chairman of the Board of French May said, "Over 33 years of dedicated development, the French May Arts Festival has grown into one of Asia's most cherished annual cultural celebrations. It remains committed to serving as a bridge for cultural exchange between Hong Kong and France, bringing world-class artistic experiences to audiences from all walks of life. We are delighted to return to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum to proudly present two remarkable exhibitions, Meet Mona Lisa and Portraying the Renaissance, and to welcome everyone - families, students, art lovers and visitors from around the world - to discover one of the most iconic treasures of French cultural heritage. This is at the heart of what French May has always sought to do: make culture accessible to all, while highlighting Hong Kong's unique status as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange."

Speaking at the ceremony, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Steward Nicholas Hunsworth said the exhibition offers an unprecedented hybrid experience, blending centuries-old legacy with immersive technology, and culminating with the vision of Asian artists as a bridge between East and West. The Club's support for the exhibition, together with its role as the exclusive sponsor of The Jockey Club Community Outreach and Arts Education Programme, reflects its commitment to nurturing talent, fostering arts appreciation and supporting cultural development in Hong Kong. It also aligns with the Central Government's vision of developing Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange, as outlined in the National 15th Five-Year Plan.

Miss Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, said that under the theme "Re/naissance", she is confident that the Festival will continue to offer an energetic platform for artistic innovation and the exchange of ideas, strengthening the cultural dialogue between France and Hong Kong in unprecedented ways, and drawing visitors who come specifically to experience the rich cultural programmes.

Mrs Christile Drulhe, Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, remarked, "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Meet Mona Lisa & Portraying the Renaissance stands as a compelling expression of our ambition to renew and share the relationship between France and Hong Kong more widely, as art continues to connect people across time and borders. This exhibition invites us to experience the Renaissance as a living dialogue between cultures, one that reflects the depth and vitality of our tie."

Vincent Delieuvin, Chief Curator of Italian Paintings in the sixteenth century, Musée du Louvre, said, "The immense fame of the Mona Lisa is an extraordinary and delightful phenomenon, but it has the consequence that it is difficult to see her, just like all the big stars. At the Louvre Museum in Paris, nearly 25,000 people come every day to admire the real Mona Lisa, but it is not possible to get close to it for security reasons and so that all her admirers can catch a glimpse of her. The Meet Mona Lisa exhibition offers the perfect opportunity to finally get up close to the Mona Lisa, admire her, and understand how and why she became the most famous work of art in the world."

Dr. Matteo Gianeselli, Curator and Art Historian, Musée national de la Renaissance, said, "Portraying the Renaissance offers a broad overview of European artistic creation between the 15th and 16th centuries, explored through the lens of portraiture. The exhibition explores Leonardo da Vinci's place in contemporary creation through a dialogue with works from the Heritage Museum's collections. This marks the first time that the Musée national de la Renaissance at Écouen has loaned works to a destination so far from France. On behalf of my director, who unfortunately could not join us today, I would like to warmly thank you for this rich collaboration—one that I hope is but the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership."

Ms. Delphine de Canecaude, President, Grand Palais Immersif, said, "With Meet Mona Lisa, co-produced with the Musée du Louvre, we presented a new iteration of an exhibition previously shown in Marseille. Its narrative is carried by Mona Lisa herself - a singular choice that shifts the visitor's relationship to her entirely. Presenting Portraying the Renaissance alongside this immersive experience allowed us to contextualize da Vinci's work. Curated by the Musée national de la Renaissance - Château d'Ecouen, the exhibition brings together exceptional loans from their collection and from the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, alongside casts of Louvre sculptures produced by the Ateliers d'art de la Réunion des Musées nationaux – Grand Palais. We are deeply grateful to each of these institutions for their trust and generosity. We are also profoundly proud to bring this work to Hong Kong as part of the French May Arts Festival, and equally honoured that the Hong Kong Heritage Museum has opened its doors to these exhibitions."

To honour The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its 15th consecutive year of support for the French May Arts Festival, a series of educational and outreach activities including talks, workshops, free screenings, and guided tours, will be held throughout the exhibition period under the Jockey Club Community Outreach and Arts Education Programmes, allowing the public to gain a deeper understanding of the captivating allure of the Mona Lisa and Renaissance art, and to experience the essence of French arts.

Credit:
Jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and French May Arts Festival
Jointly organised by Hong Kong Heritage Museum and French May Arts Festival
Title Sponsor: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust
Supported by the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong

Meet Mona Lisa
Jointly produced by Musée du Louvre and Grand Palais Immersif
Scientific direction: Vincent Delieuvin
Creative direction: Mathilde Adrien-Babillon

Portraying the Renaissance
Curatorial expertise: Thierry Crépin-Leblond and Matteo Gianeselli
Participating Organisations: Musée national de la Renaissance – Château d'Ecouen, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Ateliers d'art Grand Palais RMN and Atelier de Chalcographie du Louvre

Project Grant: Mega Arts and Cultural Events Fund under the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
Digital Display Partner: LG Electronics HK
Sponsors: SOGO Hong Kong Company Limited, Wheelock Properties

Details of all programmes are available at: www.frenchmay.com