Art and Chinese Modernity in Connection with Lyon, 1920-1936

During the early part of the 20th century, China underwent significant political, social and cultural transformations. Modernisation of art was an integral part of China’s national modernization project. Between 1900 and 1930, initiatives spearheaded ways to create an infrastructure for modern art in China. About 500 students went overseas to study “Western” art between 1900s and 1930s. Many came to France. L’Ecole Nationale de Beaux-Arts de Lyon provided training to about 58 students from China from 1920 to 1942. A number of them played significant roles after they returned to China.

My project examines the process of China’s art modernisation at the beginning of the twentieth century. This presentation focuses on the changes in both the concept and the practice of art through the cases of selected Chinese art students in Lyon. My intension is to demonstrate in detail how the ideal of modernising China’s art was conceptualised, debated and implemented through institutional practices and individual efforts.