‘City of Others' highlights how Asian artists in Paris influenced modern art

Korea Herald

26-04-2025

Korean painter Pai Un-soung's works are among the 220 artworks and 200 archival finds in the National Gallery Singapore exhibition that trace how Asian artists quietly but decisively shaped the modernist legacy of Paris
SINGAPORE -- The exhibition 'City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris, 1920s–1940s' at National Gallery Singapore invites visitors to a fascinating exploration of the lives and works of Asian artists in Paris in the early 20th century.
The landmark exhibition, which runs through Aug. 17, comprises over 220 works and 200 archival materials, drawing from collections across Asia and Europe to reveal the overlooked lives and practices of artists from Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea and India. These artists did not merely study in Paris -- they shaped it, challenged it and redefined its modernist legacy.
'It's not just a survey about being in Paris,' explains Phoebe Scott, senior curator and curator of research publications at the National Gallery. 'It's kind of a remapping of Paris.' Her research explores the intersections of modernism and colonialism, particularly in Southeast Asia.
The exhibition opens with self-portraits -- literal and metaphorical -- by artists attempting to define themselves in a foreign environment. Georgette Chen's 'Self Portrait' (1923) captures her quiet self-assurance, while Tsuguharu Foujita's 'Self-Portrait with Cat' (1926) is both whimsical and masterfully composed, with its fine black sumi ink lines on a chalky white ground. This innovative technique demonstrated his ease with both modernism and Japanese painting traditions.
The first section, titled 'Workshop to the World,' explores the critical role Asian artists played in the decorative arts, particularly lacquer -- a medium central to the Art Deco movement.
One standout is Katsuki Hamanaka, whose geometric abstraction in 'Composition' (1930) modernized Japanese lacquer work. Hamanaka trained in Paris under Seizo Sougawara and later founded his own atelier. 'He didn't like the idea that lacquer should just continue to circulate Orientalist cliches. That's why you see techniques and motifs that are Art Deco-inspired or drawn from Western art history," said Scott.
Nearby, the work of Vietnamese artisans comes into focus through French designer Jean Dunand. Although celebrated in Paris, Dunand relied on anonymous Vietnamese lacquerers, many of whom had migrated to France after World War I. 'A quarter of the Indochinese migrants in Paris at this time worked as lacquerers,' said Scott. Their identities, recovered from colonial police archives, are presented here for the first time.
The 'Theatre of the Colonies' section examines the 1931 International Colonial Exposition in Paris, where colonial powers displayed their territories like museum specimens. Amidst this spectacle, Le Pho's "L'Age heureux" (1930) debuted as part of Vietnam's first modernist art display abroad.
'It's really difficult to know how these artists felt about having their work presented in such a colonialist platform,' Scott reflects. 'But I think we can see it within the frame of a politics of achievement.'
In counterpoint, the exhibition includes materials from anti-colonial activists such as Surrealists, Communists and Vietnamese nationalists, who produced pamphlets and posters decrying the exposition. Among them is a cartoon by Ho Chi Minh, mocking the colonial display's celebration of opium and violence.
One of the most revelatory aspects of the exhibition is the inclusion of Asian dance. "We began to realize that there were some interesting crossovers,' Scott shares. 'A number of dancers were artist models. A number of dancers were also trained in the visual arts. The same dynamic between an expectation of exoticism, a desire for experimental modernity, versus the expectations of the public — we see that same dynamic in dancers and visual arts.'
The exhibition highlights performers like Oshi Komori, Raden Mas Jodjana and Choi Seung-hee.
'We have also been able to use Chae Song-hee (Choi Seung-hee) as a figure she turns into in exotic forms of dance. And at some point during this period, she was actually the highest-paid entertainer in the whole of Europe. So it just goes to show the popularity that foreign dancers could achieve at this time,' said the curator.
Exhibiting the 'other'
In the 'Sites of Exhibition' section, the focus turns to how Asian artists carved out space within the Paris art world. Liu Kang's 'View of Sacré-Cœur' (1931) and Chen's 'Well in Provence' (1935) reflect how Asian painters absorbed and adapted European techniques while maintaining distinct perspectives. Their works were shown in prestigious salons and solo shows alongside those of their European peers.
Korean painter Pai Un-soung's 'Returning Home' (1938), a tranquil snowscape echoing both oil painting and the Japanese genre of ukiyo-e, and his 'Portrait of Assia Rubinstein,' reflect a refined, internationalist vision shaped by 18 years in Europe.
'Pai was also one of the artists who was able to exhibit commercially quite successfully, and he also developed an interesting relationship with the art critic Assia Rubenstein, who wrote a review of Pai's work. He wrote, 'It's customary to attribute the source of the creative works made by artists born outside the confines of Europe to a facile and somewhat confused notion of exoticism.' So it's like he's critiquing the taste for the exotic,' explained Scott.
Although Pai spent most of his time in Europe in Berlin, he managed to hold a solo exhibition in Paris. The show was supported by a Franco-Japanese society or association. He later settled in North Korea after the Korean War, so not much is known about his activities after that point.
In the 'Studio and Street' section, Montparnasse emerges as a zone of creative exchange. Amrita Sher-Gil's 'Woman Wearing Shawl' (1932) captures the intimate dignity of her subject -- a woman both vulnerable and resolute.
Sanyu's 'Reclining Pink Nude with Raised Arms,' a lyrical and restrained canvas, blends Chinese minimalism with Parisian sensuality. Unlike Matisse or Modigliani, Sanyu's approach is quieter, inward-looking and infused with the rhythm of calligraphic line.
The final section, 'Aftermaths,' considers what came next. For some artists, like Mai Trung Thu, who remained in France, the postwar years brought both opportunity and isolation. His 'Self-Portrait with Glasses' (1950), painted on silk with a thoughtful, measured touch, reflects the duality of belonging and distance in a decolonizing world.
The exhibition 'City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris, 1920s–1940s' offers a thought-provoking look at how Asian artists, including Koreans, navigated their identities and artistic practices in a city that was both a beacon of creative freedom and a site of racial and cultural tension. Through their work, these artists engaged with the complexities of being 'other' in Paris, constantly negotiating their place within both the European and Asian artistic worlds. The show successfully intertwines personal, cultural and historical narratives, creating a rich and immersive experience that invites viewers to reflect on the continuing relevance of these artists' journeys in a world that is still grappling with questions of migration, identity and belonging.