Artworks by members of the Academy of Fine Arts of France are on show at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Many Chinese art masters of the 20th century once studied at the prestigious National School of Fine Arts in Paris. They include painters such as Xu Beihong and Wu Guanzhong and Liu Kaiqu, a pioneer of Chinese sculpture and the first director of China's national art museum from 1963 to 1993.

"French art keeps moving forward, just like the torrents in the Seine," says Wu.

"The exhibition showcases not only the rich tradition of French art, but also it introduces revolutionary developments from different periods, especially how today's artists relate their works to universal issues, like the relationship between humans and nature."

Himself a sculptor, Wu has visited the Academy of Fine Arts several times.

He even co-exhibited his works with Claude Abeille, a sculptor and academy member, at a two-person show there titled Dialog of Soul in Paris in 2014.

The current exhibition also allows artists like Philippe Garel, who was elected to the French academy last year, to get to know more about home-grown Chinese art and exchange notes with local artists.