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Details about The Met Museum's Costume Institute Spring Exhibition, CHINA: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, Announced at the Palace Museum in China

By: Jan. 09, 2015
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Today, The Metropolitan Museum of Art held a press briefing at the Palace Museum in Beijing, China, about its spring 2015 Costume Institute exhibition, China: Through the Looking Glass. The exhibition, on view at the Met from May 7 to August 16, will explore how Chinese art and film have influenced Western fashion design for centuries. Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum; Shan Jixiang, Director of the Palace Museum; Max Baucus, U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China; Andrew Bolton, Curator in The Costume Institute; Maxwell K. Hearn, Douglas Dillon Chairman, Department of Asian Art; Anna Wintour, Artistic Director of Condé Nast and Editor-in-Chief of American Vogue; and renowned filmmaker Wong Kar Wai, Artistic Director of the exhibition, all attended the press briefing.

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Director Shan welcomed guests to the Palace of Established Happiness (Jianfu Palace) in the Forbidden City, Ambassador Baucus delivered remarks, and Mr. Campbell highlighted the importance of cultural and artistic exchange between China and the Met. Andrew Bolton discussed how the exhibition will juxtapose Chinese art and historic costumes with high fashion to demonstrate the West's fascination with Chinese imagery. Wong Kar Wai discussed the role of film in the exhibition and showed a montage of the film clips that will be used in the exhibition to illuminate the impact of the cinematic arts on Western fashion.

During the press briefing, a display in the Jianfu Palace featured images and objects to be included in the Met exhibition: an Yves Saint Laurent gown (by Tom Ford, 2004) inspired by the dragon robe worn by Puyi (1906-1967), the last Chinese emperor, for his inauguration in 1908; and a blue-and-white Chanel beaded gown (by Karl Lagerfeld, 1984) and a Roberto Cavalli gown (2005) whose patterns reflect those on Chinese export porcelains. This interchange between art and fashion complements the Palace Museum's mission to highlight the essence of Chinese art and culture formed over thousands of years, as well as The Costume Institute's commitment to exploring the connection between art and fashion. The Costume Institute became part of the Met in 1946, and subsequently built a world-class collection including more than 35,000 garments from five continents, with some dating back to the 15th century.

China: Through the Looking Glass will be on view in the Met's Chinese Galleries and in the Anna Wintour Costume Center. It will feature more than 130 haute couture and ready-to-wear fashions juxtaposed with traditional Chinese masterpieces in jade, lacquer, cloisonné, and blue-and-white porcelain. Chinese imagery will be used throughout the exhibition, presenting a series of "mirrored reflections" that focus on the evolution of art, fashion, and culture from Imperial China through to the present-day People's Republic of China.

Remarks
"It is an honor for the Met to host a press presentation at the Palace Museum for many reasons, chief among them our long, collaborative relationship with our Chinese colleagues," said Mr. Campbell. "We are particularly delighted to share early details about The Costume Institute's spring exhibition focusing on the history of Chinese imagery in art, film, and fashion. We hope that many Chinese visitors will come experience the exhibition in our galleries this spring alongside fellow art lovers from around the globe."

Mr. Shan Jixiang, director of the Palace Museum of China, said: "The close cooperation between the Palace Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in developing this exhibition has enhanced mutual understanding, formed new friendships and led to brilliant new and exciting ideas. We believe that in the near future, we can look forward to more collaboration opportunities and learn from each other by sharing our expertise and experiences in exhibition design and curating."

Andrew Bolton, curator of the exhibition, noted: "From the earliest period of European contact with China in the 16th century, the West has been enchanted with enigmatic objects and imagery from China, providing inspiration for fashion designers from Paul Poiret to Yves Saint Laurent. Through the looking glass of fashion, designers conjoin disparate stylistic references into a pastiche of Chinese aesthetic and cultural traditions."

Maxwell K. Hearn added, "China has long been an intriguing source of inspiration for Western artists. As the Met's Asian Art Department embarks on its 100th year, our permanent collection continues to celebrate the genius of China's ancient traditions. This collaboration between two curatorial departments will demonstrate how Western designers have responded creatively to those traditions in ways that are both provocative and insightful."

"William Chang and I are pleased to be working in collaboration with The Costume Institute and the Asian Art Department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art on this exciting cross-cultural show," commented Wong Kar Wai. "Historically, there have been many cases of being 'lost in translation'-with good and revealing results. As Chinese filmmakers, we hope to create a show that is an Empire of Signs-filled with meaning for both East and West to discover and decipher."

In celebration of the exhibition opening, the Museum's Costume Institute Benefit will take place on Monday, May 4, 2015. Silas Chou will serve as Honorary Chair. The evening's co-chairs will be Jennifer Lawrence, Gong Li, Marissa Mayer, Wendi Murdoch, and Anna Wintour. This event is The Costume Institute's main source of annual funding for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, and capital improvements.

A special feature on the Museum's website, www.metmuseum.org/ChinaLookingGlass, provides information about the exhibition. Sina microblog: @??????MET_????. Follow us on Facebook.com/metmuseum,Instagram.com/metmuseum, and Twitter.com/metmuseum to join the conversation about the exhibition and gala benefit. Use #ChinaLookingGlass and #MetGala on Instagram and Twitter.

The exhibition is made possible by Yahoo.
Additional support is provided by Condé Nast and several generous Chinese donors.


Photo- From left: Chen Zhang, Silas Chou, Wendi Murdoch, Emily Rafferty, Thomas P. Campbell,
Anna Wintour, Max Baucus, Andrew Bolton and Maxwell K. Hearn

Photo Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art




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