An exhibition highlighting the works of Italian painter Raffaello Raphael opened on Thursday in Shenzhen's Nanshan Museum in south China's Guangdong Province.

A total of 68 artworks, including 39 original pieces, of Raphael and other Italian artists are on display at the exhibition titled "Raphael and the Classical Canon."

The two-month exhibition has been curated by Claudio Strinati, a renowned art historian and critic in Italy. He said in a presentation video that the exhibition featuring oil paintings, frescoes, sculptures and digital reproductions illustrates the classical artistic principles established by the Renaissance master.

Lucia Pasqualini, Consul General of Italy in Guangzhou, said that 2020 marked the 500th anniversary of Raphael's death, but many commemorative events were canceled due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

She said the exhibition marks a new start, as well as further cultural exchanges between Italy and China.