Works by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and other iconic Italian artists will make their first appearance in a Beijing gallery next January, the beijingnews.com reported on Tuesday.

Eighty-two pieces of art will be shown at the "Italian Renaissance Exhibition" from January 20 to April 23 next year in the world art gallery of the China Centenary Altar, said Wang Limei, connoisseur of the art gallery.

This exhibition will serve as the maiden show of the new gallery and also as the prelude to the "Italian cultural year," said Wang.

The art to be shown, including paintings, sculptures and artifacts, covers renaissance achievements from the 13th to the 18th century.

The China Centenary Altar, located in western Beijing, is a structure symbolizing China's 5,000-year-old civilization and its people's wishes for the new century.

(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2005)