The "Mirrors of the Portrait" exhibition has opened to the public recently at the West Bund Museum in Shanghai. It's the third stage of a 2019 agreement between the modern art museum and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. 

"Mirrors of the Portrait" features nearly 300 pieces ranging from avant-garde works from the 19th century, to contemporary creations that reflect how portraits have changed over time.  

The exhibition occupies two galleries on the second floor of the museum and includes the works of artists such as Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Francis Bacon, Frantisek Kupka, and Zhang Xiaogang. Part of the fun is comparing the different styles and ages of the artworks.  

One of the highlights is the painting "Mona-Vinci" by Chinese artist Huang Yongping. Huang said he was inspired after seeing a photograph of the "Mona Lisa" in a magazine. The other side of the page featured a picture of Leonardo da Vinci. The two images overlapped when held up in light. This experience inspired Huang to create "Mona-Vinci."

"It's not a chronological tour. We hope people look at the portraits from different angles and perspectives. So that's why we named the exhibition 'Mirrors of the Portrait.' The word 'mirror' is plural, not singular, which conveys our expectation that people be open to each and every exhibit to find their own meanings," said Frederic Paul, curator of "Mirrors of the Portrait" exhibition. 

The exhibition follows two others – "The Shape of Time" and "The Voice of Things" – that also resulted from the collaboration between West Bund Museum and Centre Pompidou.  

"Mirrors of the Portrait" will run through November 5, 2024.