Two representative works of Caravaggio, one of Italy's most eminent Renaissance painters, will debut in China for the first time in the Italian pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo.

The paintings, "Boy with a Basket of Fruit" and "Basket of Fruit," would leave Italy and be flown to Shanghai in mid-June from the gallery Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome, said Beniamino Quintieri, Italy's Commissioner General for the World Expo to be held from May 1 to Oct. 31.

The paintings showcased "the Italian lifestyle" and conveyed the idea of "harmonious coexistence of human and nature," Quintieri said, adding that 2010 marked the 400th anniversary of Caravaggio's death.

Quintieri also disclosed that Italian masters of opera, symphony, ballet and handicraft would perform during the World Expo.

(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2010)