Experience 'Mona Lisa' and Renaissance Art at Hong Kong Heritage Museum Exhibition Starting Tomorrow

2026-04-30 21:52 Last Updated At：22:08

Hong Kong Heritage Museum offers multimedia immersive experience of "Mona Lisa" and showcases Renaissance treasures

The Hong Kong Heritage Museum (HKHM) is staging "The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Meet Mona Lisa & Portraying the Renaissance" exhibition starting from tomorrow (May 1) until July 27. Offering visitors a dual experience for one exhibition - taking audiences on a journey through time and exploring the famous "Mona Lisa" painting, as well as featuring art treasures from various French and Italian cultural institutions, which reveal the glorious age of the Renaissance.

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Hong Kong Heritage Museum offers multimedia immersive experience of "Mona Lisa" and showcases Renaissance treasures Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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Hong Kong Heritage Museum offers multimedia immersive experience of "Mona Lisa" and showcases Renaissance treasures Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Addressing the opening ceremony held today (April 30), the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, said that this exhibition is undoubtedly a highlight programme of this year's French May Arts Festival. Through an immersive digital journey, alongside outstanding artworks on loan from exceptional museums and art institutions, visitors can step inside the frame and experience new life from classical heritage. By bringing "Mona Lisa" to the people, the exhibition offers visitors a unique opportunity to engage with art in a way that is interactive, educational, and deeply moving.

Other officiating guests included the Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, Mrs Christile Drulhe; Steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Mr Nicholas Hunsworth; Co-chairman of the Board of French May Arts Festival Ms Pansy Ho; the Vice President of the Grand Palais Immersif, Mr Vincent Larnicol; the Chief Curator of Italian Painting of the Sixteenth Century of the Musée du Louvre, Mr Vincent Delieuvin; the Curator and Art Historian of the Musée national de la Renaissance, Dr Matteo Gianeselli; the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Manda Chan; and the Museum Director of the HKHM, Mr Brian Lam.

Mona Lisa "narrates" the stories behind her mysterious smile

The first section of the exhibition "Meet Mona Lisa", is centred on Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, the "Mona Lisa". The Musée du Louvre and the Grand Palais Immersif specially created a multimedia immersive experience for Hong Kong. Composing the extraordinary journey of this portrait spanning more than 500years into six chapters, Mona Lisa herself narrates the captivating stories behind that mysterious smile of hers, in a monologue.

Leonardo da Vinci's precious original manuscripts showcase the captivating charm of the Renaissance

The second section "Portraying the Renaissance" highlights a selection of Renaissance art treasures from several renowned museums and cultural institutions, including the Musée national de la Renaissance and the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, in diverse forms of art such as paintings, prints, sculptures, decorative art, and everyday objects. Most exhibits are being shown in Hong Kong for the first time, including four precious Leonardo da Vinci manuscripts, and works by other artists of the Renaissance period, for example, "The Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John the Baptist" by Luca Penni, "The Crucifixion" by Noël Bellemare, and Michelangelo Buonarroti's "The Rebellious Slave" (plaster reproduction cast using moulds).

Exhibits from the HKHM collection and paintings by Chinese Mainland artist Xu Lei that echo Renaissance art are also on display, enabling a dialogue across time and space and highlighting the influence of this cultural movement that originated in 14th century Europe. Furthermore, the museum lobby features a giant 5-metre animated installation that blends Hong Kong-style neon elements with classic art symbols to create a unique Hong Kong version of the "Mona Lisa".

A series of talks, film screenings, public guided tours and tactile experience workshops will be held during the exhibition, allowing visitors to gain a deeper understanding of the "Mona Lisa" and the captivating charm of Renaissance art. The first talk will be held on May 1 at 3pm at the Theatre at the HKHM. The speaker, Mr Delieuvin, will visit Hong Kong to share his insights on "Why 'Mona Lisa'? Discover What's So Special About the Most Famous Painting in the World".

To ensure a better visiting experience, crowd control measures for the exhibition will be implemented with flexibility. In the event of overcrowding, timed admission ticketing may be arranged. Visitors are advised to follow on-site notices and to stay updated through the HKHM's official website, Instagram or VisitHKMuseums on Xiaohongshu.

The exhibition will be held at Thematic Galleries 3, 4 and 5, 1/F of the HKHM. Admission is free. The exhibition is jointly presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the French May Arts Festival, jointly organised by the HKHM and the French May Arts Festival. The title sponsor is the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, with support from the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong. For details of the exhibition and activities, please visit hk.heritage.museum/en/exhibitions/monalisa2026.html.

Residents Return to Wang Fuk Court: Access Arrangements Proceed Smoothly Amid Support from Government Personnel

Government concludes eleventh-day arrangements for Wang Fuk Court residents returning to their units

Today (April 30) is the eleventh day of phased arrangements for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units. Five low-zone floors of Wang Tai House and 10 middle-zone floors of Wang Kin House were opened. The access arrangements were carried out in an orderly manner and operated smoothly.

A total of 118 households (437 people) registered to return to their units today through the "one social worker per household" service, while 117 households (457 people) actually turned up.

The average time residents spent entering and leaving the building today was two hours and 25 minutes, with the shortest time being 14 minutes and the longest three hours and 40 minutes. About 77 per cent of the residents stayed in the building for less than three hours. About 27 per cent of the residents stayed in the building for less than two hours. About 4 per cent of the residents stayed in the building for less than one hour.

A total of 65 households (123 people) went up and down the building more than once. Among them, 25 households (55 people) made one additional trip, 26 households (48 people) made two additional trips, 11 households (15 people) made three additional trips, 2 household (3 people) made four additional trips, and 1 household (2 people) made five or above additional trips.

The integrated enquiry counter set up by relevant departments today received nine cases requesting police assistance and one case involving resident seeking help due to physical discomfort.

The nine cases requesting police assistance involved suspected loss of property, including watches, jewellery, cash and gold items. Officers were immediately deployed to assist in searches, and in one case, the unit concerned was severely damaged and residents believed after investigation that the property might have been destroyed by fire. In another five cases, there were no signs of ransacking in the units, and the residents could not provide details on the property concerned. For the remaining three cases, the Police will make further investigation.

The Government spares no effort in supporting the residents returning to their units. Each day, the Government deploys over 1 000 personnel from various departments, including the Police, the Civil Aid Service, the Fire Services Department, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department (SWD), the Housing Department, and the Housing Bureau, as well as District Services and Community Care Teams members. The "Government-wide Mobilisation" mechanism has also been activated to bring together greater interdepartmental resources to support residents.

Under the "Government-wide Mobilisation" mechanism, the Civil Service Bureau has co-ordinated nine government departments to mobilise civil servants to form the Government Quick Response Unit to support these access arrangements. These civil servants come from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD), the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), the Environmental Protection Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Lands Department (LandsD), the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the Post Office, and the Water Supplies Department (WSD). They will form dedicated teams with social workers and clinical psychologists from the SWD, stationed on different floors to provide support to residents returning to their units. The civil servants mobilised in the first three days were from the AFCD, those mobilised from the fourth day to the sixth day are from the EMSD and the LCSD, those mobilised from the seventh day to the ninth day are from the LandsD and the WSD, while those mobilised from the tenth day to the twelfth day (including today) are from the Post Office and the ArchSD.

Experience 'Mona Lisa' and Renaissance Art at Hong Kong Heritage Museum Exhibition Starting Tomorrow

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