How did the sale of opium in China by Massachusetts merchants in the 19th century contribute to a growing appetite for Chinese art at Harvard at the start of the 20th century?
Tea, Porcelain,Silk , Nanjin Trade -- Opium smuggling- Chinese money (bring back merchandise) choose Chinese Art(enought profit, appetite)
cultural landscape
reverberate 回响
"The second section highlights the history of imperial art collecting in China and demonstrates the growing appetite for Chinese art in Europe and the United States after the Opium Wars (1839–42, 1856–60). Artworks from Massachusetts-based private and public collections show the shift in taste at this time from export ceramics and paintings to palace treasures and archaeological materials, including ancient bronzes and jades unearthed from tombs and Buddhist sculptures chiseled from cave temple walls. Through the histories of museum directors, professors, and donors, this section looks critically at the sources of Harvard’s Chinese art collection."
community discussion around the opioid crisis,
1 the effects of the Opium Wars on U.S.–China relations,
2 the role of opium in Chinese exclusion in the United States,
3 and art collecting practices.
09/14 in person
10/28 Erika Lee Online
11/08
11/18 2PM Saturday
Why do the Harvard Art Museums have a collection of Chinese art?
--historical interpretations of cultural heritage, and how contemporary museum collecting practices have changed and will continue to change in the future.