This first ever major comparative exhibition aims to re-read the art history of Paris from an Asian perspective, inviting the public to delve deeper into how Asian artists lived, worked, and exhibited there in a dynamic period of modern art history.

The exhibition transports audiences to an era when Paris was at the height of modernity. The new elegant Art Deco style influenced everything from fashion and furniture to advertising, drawing from Asian inspirations. Migrants from around the world imbued fresh influences into art, music, and dance. Asian artists brought their distinctive heritage to Paris and engaged with the city’s modern art world. At the same time, Paris was the seat of a colonial empire, which had complex and troubling implications for artists from the colonies.