An exhibition of France's leading impressionist paintings at the Hong Kong Museum of Art has attracted record crowds, with 77,800 people having visited it during the first 20 days of the show.

The attendance figure already surpasses the previous record of 68,725 people who turned out to view the "Masterpieces -- the origin of Modern Art in France" exhibition over a three-month period in 1999, according to Sunday's South China Morning Post.

The current exhibition, part of the Year of France in China program, also has broken another record of the number of people using the audio-guide system, which reflected their willingness to spend time learning about the art.

The Museum of Art's curator of modern art, Tang Hoi-chiu, attributed the record number of visitors to a growing interest in the arts and culture, which the debate on the West Kowloon cultural hub may have helped increase.

In light of the public interest in western art, Tang said the museum was negotiating with the British Museum to hold an exhibition showcasing global treasures as part of a world exhibition tour.

But Ada Wong Ying-kay, a former member of the now-defunct culture and heritage commission, said the figure paled in comparison to other cities where world class impressionist paintings were on display.

"For many Hong Kong people, the current exhibition is just a highly publicized event. What we've got to think about is how to sustain people's interest as we can't always hold an exhibition with such valuable paintings every day," she said.

Editor: Catherine