Meet Mona Lisa in Hong Kong
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.
SOURCE The French May Arts Festival
