Exhibition to mark NZ forces at Monte Cassino

New Zealand's involvement in the battle of Monte Cassino during World War 2 will be commemorated in an art exhibition in Italy this year.

Italian-based New Zealand organiser Kay de Lautour Scott said the exhibition would be held in Cassino's public library in the centre of the town from May 15 to 29, dates that marked the liberation of towns in the area during the war.

New Zealand artists who had a connection to soldiers who fought in Cassino would be first invited to take part.

Ms de Lautour Scott said the exhibition was a way of passing on the message from the veterans of all nations that war must end.

"I think that artists have a responsibility to reflect what is happening in society, and in fact they do that whether they are conscious of it or not," she said.

"I also see it as a great opportunity for NZ artists to exhibit in Italy."

- NZPA