Geese in the Brook, by Claude Monet, is displayed in Barbizon Through Impressionism exhibition in Shanghai. Photo provided to China Daily

The exhibits belong to the Clark Art Institute, a private establishment by Robert Sterling Clark, and "one of the few institutions in the world with a dual mission as both an art museum and a center for research and higher education in the visual arts", says Michael Conforti, director of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute.

Sterling Clark (1877-1956) was heir to the Singer sewing machine fortune. He lived in Paris for many years, where together with his wife Francine (1876-1960), he started to collect French paintings from the 19th to early 20th century. Over 40 years, they assembled a great collection of French paintings.

The Clark museum started to build a new venue three years ago, and began an international tour of its collection. More than 20 million people have seen the show since then, says Conforti.

In China, the exhibition's only stop is in Shanghai. "This is an opportunity we have sought for years, to present the largest number of works by great art masters, and display the highest quality Impressionist pieces," says Chen Kelun, deputy director of Shanghai Museum.

Sterling Clark made an expedition to North China from 1908 to 1909. He traveled 3,000 kilometers from Shaanxi province to Gansu province. He financed the expedition himself and recruited the explorer Arthur de Carle Sowerby. Later he and Sowerby published a book about their travels.