The World Art History Institute (WAI) of the Shanghai International Studies University joined hands with several leading institutions of China, including the School of Art and Humanities of China Art Academy, the Humanities at Luxun Academy of Fine Arts, and the graphics laboratory of Peking University, to launch a new program in September.

Aimed at promoting communications between China and the world, the program called Dialogue with Outstanding Scholars in World Art History will be an annual project open to the public. The subject of the program will change every year.

For the first session, 13 renowned scholars from six countries will travel to Shanghai to share their academic findings on the first subject - the art and culture of the Renaissance.

Professor Frank Fehrenbach, a leading researcher on Leonardo Da Vinci and professor of the University of Hamburg in Germany, was the first to give a lecture titled "Enlivening Eyes in Early Modern European Art" in Shanghai on Sept 15.

Professor Jasmin Mersmann of the University of Art and Design Linz in Austria, then gave a lecture titled "The Power of Images: from the Devil's Point of View" on Sept 16.