The painting In the Poultry Market

"Mihaly Munkacsy is a genius artist who has an important place in 19th century European art," says Shi Dawei, director of the China Art Museum Shanghai. "He created many masterpieces reflecting the reality of his age, and remained optimistic even though the subjects were sometimes tragic."

The artist has deep influence in China, says H.E. Zoltan BaLog, minister of human resources of Hungary. BaLog says Hungary has long links to Asia, and by hosting this exhibition of Munkacsy in China, the museum is paying tribute to "our roots in the East".

The ministry has launched a series of projects to promote communication between China and Hungary. A scholarship named after Hungarian architect Laszlo Hudec, who designed many important buildings in Shanghai, has been established, offering Chinese students opportunities to study architecture in Budapest, says the minister.

Munkacsy studied painting in Budapest, Munich and Dusseldorf, before moving to Paris, where he became an established artist.

In 1870, his painting, The Last Day of a Condemned Man, won the Gold Medal of the Paris Salon. The piece is among the exhibits in Shanghai, a fine illustration of the style and subjects of the artist.