Marc Restellini, founder of Pinacotheque de Paris. Photo provided to China Daily

Terracotta Warriors start link to China

Parisian private museum director Restellini's connection with China started with a Terracotta Warriors show in 2008. When he flew to Xi'an in Shaanxi province, a year before the show, he was informed that the Louvre also wanted it. But his private museum secured the project.

Restellini's Pinacotheque is rare in Paris where most museums are publically funded or supported by foundations.

"I think I paid enough respect to my Chinese cooperators. Maybe the Louvre was just too arrogant," he says.

The 20 Terracotta Warriors unearthed in 1974, together with traditional Chinese arts like Chinese calligraphy attracted about 800,000 visitors in 2008. It became one of their most successful exhibitions alongside shows of Pollock, Munch and Modigliani.

Restellini was also proud of another exhibition of Chinese-French artist Chu Teh-Chun, who was level with Zao Wou-Ki, a well-known Chinese-French artist in France.

One of his collectors lent him a painting by Chu when he had no idea who the artist was. He was so impressed by Chu's work that he put it into the permanent collection of Pinacotheque de Paris, the first French museum to include Chu's work in its permanent collection.

Then he met the artist's son. He decided to hold a solo show for the then 94-year-old painter. On March 26, 2014, when Chu's show at the museum ended, the artist died on that day.

"What I enjoy is gathering works from collectors with my own vision. Collectors are usually surprised by how I display their items with other arts," Restellini says.

With the opening of the Parisian museum's Asia offshoot in Singapore, Restellini says he will have more chances to visit China and maybe another new branch in the future will be opened here too.