The Aesthetics of Internationalism: Culture and Politics on Display at the 1935–1936 International Exhibition of Chinese Art

Abstract

This article examines the 1935–1936 International Exhibition of Chinese Art in London, “the largest Chinese cultural event ever mounted,” and the first to be organized jointly by both the British and the Chinese governments. By analyzing this exhibition at multiple stages (from its conception, to the selection, transportation, and display of the artifacts, to their return to the owners), this study demonstrates that this event was a staged spectacle of internationalism, one that celebrated not only Chinese art but also the peoples and the internationalist policies that had led to their display. As such, it represents an important chapter in the history of internationalism, of China’s place in the international arena, and of the relationship between politics and aesthetics in the twentieth century.