A 3-D, holographic version of da Vinci's Mona Lisa waves to a visitor at Beijing's Alive Gallery, which is holding an exhibit of interactive, digital recreations of famous art. (David Gray/Reuters)Art lovers who've always wondered about Mona Lisa's mysterious smile can simply ask her at a new interactive digital art exhibit in Beijing.

Designed in South Korea, the show features 61 digital recreations of iconic artworks — including Leonardo da Vinci's La Gioconda (or Mona Lisa) and The Last Supper, Hans Holbein the Younger's portrait The Ambassadors and a selection of ancient Greek and Roman marble figures.

The figures depicted move about and respond to the art patrons standing before them.

"What's special about this is that it's the first time the 3-D technology, holographic technology and voice-recognition technology is fused together in one exhibit," organizers Wang Hui told Reuters.

Audience interaction

As with the original at the Louvre in Paris, the Beijing exhibit's Mona Lisa has proved a magnet for the crowds in attendance. She waves to visitors and, when asked about herself, shares tidbits of her life story — in Mandarin.

The Greek figures, on the other hand, brag, flirt and pose coquettishly.

"I heard [that] characters in oil paintings can be transformed alive. It is so unusual," said Wang Ruoshan, who was among those curious to see the new exhibit.

"I have never seen anything like this before, so I came to take a look."

The display, called the World Classic Interactive Exhibit, was created by a South Korean gallery.

A staff of about 400 engineers and artists worked for two years researching and preparing the Beijing show. According to organizers, the exhibit required an investment of more than $7 million US.

Currently at the Alive Gallery in Beijing, the exhibit is scheduled to run until November before moving to the cities of Hangzhou and Shanghai.