Among the new artistic and intellectual movements that flourished in Paris from the 18th to the 20th century, a taste for Chinese art played a major role. To define “a taste for China” in 18th century Paris, one should highlight the movement of the Court (Versailles) to the City (Paris), and the implications this had on artistic, intellectual and day-to-day life.
Indeed, novel artistic and intellectual movements flourished during this period, and a taste for Chinese art among the major players played a prominent role in this blossoming. This exhibition creates a rolling “cross section” of Paris spanning 1730-1930 and recreates various Parisian locales where the collectors and connoisseurs, artists and scholars cultivated, advocated and enjoyed the Chinese aesthetics.
These reconstructed environments serves as backdrops against which some 170 works including Chinese porcelain, lacquer, bronzes, furniture, drawings, prints and paintings will be displayed to evoke the ambience of that epoch as well as the strength of that movement. Apart from selected items from the collection of Musée Guimet, the exhibits include items from other museums and institutions in France including the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Musée des Arts décoratifs, Musée Carnavalet, Paris.
This exhibition is jointly presented by Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Musée Guimet – Paris in collaboration with the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong.
This exhibition was conceived by the Musée Guimet - Paris, and co-organized by the Hong-Kong Museum of Art and the Musée Guimet – Paris.
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