Le French May art festival to focus on 'crazy years' of the Roaring Twenties

France in the Roaring Twenties will be the theme of this year's Le French May festival in Hong Kong where people can enjoy cabaret, gypsy jazz and the works of Jean Cocteau.

The French consul general is inviting Hongkongers to enjoy the "lively atmosphere" of what the French call "the crazy years" during the two-month-long programme of arts, music and culture.The Twenties in New York and Paris were a time of decadence immortalised by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic , and more recently with filmmaker Woody Allen's .

"In the 1920s in France, there was an unprecedented artistic 'Big Bang'. Some people call it the Renaissance of the 20th century," said Arnaud Barthélémy.

The consul general highlighted the works of Jean Cocteau whose works influenced Matisse and Andy Warhol, calling him the da Vinci of the 20th century.

"He was a poet, a painter, a sculptor as well as a costume designer who inspired Picasso," said Barthélémy. "After the Picasso exhibition last year, we thought there was a big appetite in Hong Kong for more explanations of modern art and the birth of modern art."

Cocteau's works will be on show from May 3 at City Hall.