Vincent Van Gogh's iconic Self-Portrait is wowing art lovers at the Capital Museum. The show, which opened Thursday, is called "Van Gogh and the Amsterdam Impressionists," and it's being held to coincide with a trade mission from The Netherlands.

Apart from Van Gogh's timeless Self-Portrait masterpiece, also on display are 11 other paintings by well established Dutch contemporaries, including Isaac Israels, George Breitner, Willem Witsen, Eduard Karsen and Willem de Zwart.

The exhibition demonstrates how Dutch paintings flourished greatly at the end of the 19th century, a period of time also known as the Second Golden Age of the Netherlands.

All the exhibits are on loan from the Rijksmuseum, in conjunction with the Municipality of Amsterdam. The show opened to coincide with the Dutch representatives' visit to Beijing. The delegation is planing a series of exchange programs between China and the Netherlands.

Amsterdam Mayor Van der Laan, along with the Director of the Rijksmuseum and their Chinese counterparts, were in attendance at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Lu Wei, Vice Mayor of Beijing, said, "This exhibition is a major event of the Beijing-Amsterdam cultural exchange programs. The show provides a perfect opportunity for visitors not only to appreciate the aesthetic beauty brought by the Dutch master painters at close range, but also to learn more about the splendid culture and history of the country."

The Netherlands is the guest of honor at the Beijing International Book Fair this year, which opened a day ahead of the painting exhibition. Dutch literature has made a strong presence at the fair, with works by more than 20 Dutch writers being introduced to Chinese book lovers.

On the sidelines of the book fair, the Van Gogh Museum and the Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing Group have signed a contract. Both sides agreed that a Chinese language version of more than 9-hundred pieces of correspondence from Van Gogh to his family members and contemporary artists will be published in 2013.

"Van Gogh and the Amsterdam Impressionists" will run at the Capital Museum in Beijing until October the 9th.