An art gallery showcasing European artworks at Hangzhou Library will open to the public on Sept 27. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]

People will be able to take a close look at artworks from Europe at Hangzhou Library from Sept 27.

The art gallery, featuring 100 collectables including sculptures and paintings, will be open to the public. Located in the library's basement, the gallery will display European artistic achievements from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The exhibits, placed in a 3,000-square-meter hall, include rarely seen works from masters like French sculptor Auguste Rodin, winners of international awards, and the world's largest enamel box and bronze vase.

Most of the artworks have come from Wu Jing, a businesswoman born in Wenzhou. She is renowned in France as a collector of antiques. Wu said she had made great efforts to collect these pieces and sometimes she even bid against the Louvre Museum and the Rodin Museum in Paris and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC to gain some masterpieces.

A sculpture of King Henry IV is a typical French artwork of the 18th century. Wu and the Louvre both wanted it and the deadlock lasted four years. Finally, Wu got it and on the day of unveiling the sculpture, Jean-Luc Martinez, president of the Louvre, came to take a photo of it to ease his disappointment.

Wu said she donated her collection to the gallery in Hangzhou because she wants to make European culture more accessible to Chinese people.

Chu Shuqing, curator of Hangzhou Library, thought the library was not just a reading place but also a platform for cultural displays. "The art gallery will contribute to the library becoming more diversified," he said.

The world's largest enamel box will be one of the exhibits at the new art gallery at Hangzhou Library. [Photo/Zhejiang Daily]