Artist Xu Beihong (front left) and other members of the Association of Chinese Artists in France in 1933. [Photo provided to China Daily]

CNAP first bought works of living French artists and then, in the 19th century, it started to include foreign artists who lived in France and "exuded an artistic life", says Bellegarde.

She says the collection now holds more than 102,000 works, and it grows every year by acquiring two or three works representing different styles.

The first Chinese artwork that entered the CNAP collection was a painting depicting Luxembourg in the snow by painter Liu Haisu (1896-1994), in 1931.

Liu was then traveling in Europe and had held a solo exhibition in Paris.

In 1952, CNAP purchased Qiantang River, a landscape by Chinese artist Fang Junbi, which is exhibited at the ongoing event.

Fang was admitted to Beaux-Arts de Paris in 1919, becoming the first Chinese woman to study at the academy.

CNAP does not have a regular venue for display but loans its works to museums and institutions.

Bellegarde says around 2,000 artworks from this collection are shown in France and around the world, while others decorate public spaces including the Elysee Palace, the official residence of the French president.

Artworks from CNAP's collection at the Academy and Salon exhibition come from different museums and exhibition venues all over France.

And they include the city hall of Chinon where Eugene Delacroix's Portrait of Rabelais has been on display since 1834; the Calvet Museum in Avignon that has featured Camille Corot's Site of Italy since 1842 and the Rouen Museum of Fine Arts where Jules-Alexandre Grun's Friday at French Artists' Salon has been on display since 1932.

Pan from the National Museum of China says several of the paintings are huge and created difficulties in transportation.

Grun's Friday at French Artists' Salon stands at 3.6 meters and extends to 6 meters. The painting had to be removed from its original frame and rolled up for transportation. It was put back into its frame after arriving in Beijing.

The CNAP had a restoration expert working in Beijing to oversee the re-framing process.

Bellegarde says the tour has extended the influence of CNAP, and they hope to bring its works to more Chinese museums in the future.

If you go

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays, through May 6. 16 East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng district, Beijing. 010-6511-6400.