A free immersive digital exhibition titled 'Meet Mona Lisa & Portraying the Renaissance' opens on May 1 at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, running through July 27. Created in collaboration with the Musée du Louvre and the Grand Palais Immersif, the show is split into two sections: a multimedia journey guided by a narrated Mona Lisa across six chapters, including an interactive photo booth, and a second section featuring over 100 Renaissance treasures from European institutions. Highlights include four original manuscripts of the human body and faces by Leonardo da Vinci, shown for the first time in Hong Kong, alongside loans from the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, the Musée national de la Renaissance, works by mainland artist Xu Lei, and items from the museum's own collection.
The exhibition matters because it brings one of the world's most iconic artworks to a Hong Kong audience through an accessible, free-to-enter digital experience, bridging the gap between the original painting's inaccessibility in Paris and public engagement. It also marks a significant cultural collaboration between major French institutions and a Hong Kong museum, while serving as a highlight of the French May Arts Festival. The inclusion of rare da Vinci manuscripts and Renaissance artifacts underscores the exhibition's scholarly value, making high-level art history freely available to the local community and visitors alike.