Image: Itakulla Kanae, Woman in a Red Dress. 1929. Oil on canvas, 116 x 80.3cm. Collection of Matsudo City Board of Education.
City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris (1920s–1940s)
City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris (1920s–1940s) is a groundbreaking exhibition at the National Gallery Singapore that presents the experiences of Asian artists in Paris during a time period that is critical in the story of modernism, and modern art’s relationship to ‘the Other.’ Moving beyond the idea of Paris as an art world centre in this period, City of Others aims to re-read the art history of the city from Asian perspectives.
During this peak period of artistic migration to Paris, there was a dynamic, cross-cultural exchange of aesthetics and ideas. This will be the first time the Paris experiences of artists from different parts of Asia are presented extensively together, resulting in new comparisons that offer an original and nuanced picture of Paris as a site for artistic exchange.
The exhibition will feature more than 200 artworks, including paintings, sculptures, lacquerware, and decorative art, and a further 200 archives and historical images, with many presented for the first time in Singapore. Audiences can look forward to works by major Asian artists like Foujita Tsuguharu, Georgette Chen, Lê Phô, Liu Kang, Xu Beihong and Sanyu, alongside lesser-known figures.
A joint symposium by National Gallery Singapore and Musée Cernuschi will be held in Paris on 20 February 2025. This will be followed by an expanded symposium on Paris as a ‘City of Others’ on 16 and 17 August 2025 in Singapore..