National Gallery Singapore presents City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris, 1920s-1940s, the first major comparative exhibition dedicated to Asian artists in the French capital city during this dynamic period in modern art history. Challenging conventional art history narratives, this groundbreaking exhibition places Asian artists at the centre of focus, highlighting the relationship, interactions, and influences between the local and migrant artists, as well as the Parisian community. City of Others explores themes of identity, belonging, cultural exchange, creativity, and resilience through the lives of Asian artists who exhibited, worked, and lived in Paris as they navigated the culturally vibrant yet challenging time in interwar Paris.
From 2 April to 17 August 2025, over 200 artworks – including paintings, sculptures, lacquerware, and decorative arts – along with 200 archival materials and images will be on view at the Singtel Special Exhibition Gallery, showcasing the presence of Asian artists in Paris during a period of global migration. City of Others offers visitors a glimpse into the experiences of these artists, highlighting their diverse journeys and creative exchanges. For the first time, visitors will be able to uncover new connections and comparisons across diverse practices and perspectives.
Foujita Tsuguharu. 《猫のいる自画像》Autoportrait au chat (Self-Portrait with Cat). 1926. Oil, pen and ink on canvas, 80.4 x 60.2 cm. Gift of the artist in 1927. Collection of Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon. © Fondation Foujita / ADAGP, Paris, 2025. Image © MBA Lyon – Photo Martial Couderette. B 1435.
This exhibition is made possible through the support of Series Partner Singtel and Presenting Partner J.P. Morgan. Wai Mei Hong, Senior Country Officer for J.P.Morgan Singapore says, “City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris, 1920s-1940s tells the story of the Asian emigrant artists who have made their mark on Paris’ modern art history. As a global company, we believe that art enhances spaces and serves as a catalyst for connection across communities. J.P. Morgan is excited to partner with National Gallery Singapore on this groundbreaking exhibition to showcase the inspiring work done by our own artists from the region.”
Delving into the stories of how Asian artists lived, worked and exhibited in Paris, City of Others examines what it meant to be the ‘other’. Spread across three gallery spaces in multiple sections – Preface, Workshop to the World, Theatre of the Colonies, Spectacle and Stage, Sites of Exhibition, Studio and Street, and Aftermaths – the exhibition examines the diverse experiences of these artists.
Georgette Chen. Self Portrait. c.1923. Oil on Canvas. 35 x 27 cm
Collection of National Gallery Singapore.
The exhibition opens with Preface, introducing visitors to the different ways Asian artists in Paris, often regarded as ‘other’ or outsiders, presented themselves to European audiences. Through portraits and self-portraits by modern artists like Lê Phổ, Mai Trung Thứ, Georgette Chen, Liu Kang, and Pai Un-soung, visitors will see how these artists used art to present themselves as creative individuals grappling with their identities as migrant artists while navigating public expectations and perceptions.
As one of the rare Asian female artists in 1920s Paris, Georgette Chen conveyed her strong and confident personality in her self-portrait (Self Portrait, c. 1923) through a bold sideways glance towards the viewer. In his Self-Portrait with Cat (1926), created at the peak of his fame in Paris, Japanese–French painter Foujita Tsuguharu presented himself as a pensive artist at his table in his room, surrounded by a canvas, an ink stone, a stick, fine Asian brushes, and accompanied by his cat – a regular companion in his self-portraits. This painting is one of a series of iconic self-portraits set in his studio, where Foujita used fine black sumi ink lines on a chalky white ground. This innovative technique demonstrated his ease with both modernism and Japanese painting traditions.
Jean Dunand. La forêt (Forest). 1930. Gold and silver lacquer and hinges; 12 panels, total 300 x 600 cm. Collection of Mobilier National.
Image courtesy of Mobilier National; photo by Isabelle Bideau, GME-7196-000
Workshop to the World focuses on the growing presence of Asian artists and artisans who contributed to the Art Déco movement in Paris after the 1920s. This section highlights the active involvement of Asian artists in France’s decorative arts workshops, including artists who successfully sold and exhibited under their own names and those who remained uncredited workers. The influence of Asian artisans on the Art Déco movement is shown through jewellery and objects from the Cartier Collection (the heritage collection of the Maison), as well as lacquerwares from the atelier of leading designer Jean Dunand. Newly uncovered archival documentations reveal the profiles of highly skilled artisans and labourers from Vietnam who were part of Dunand’s atelier workforce.
Lacquer, because of its sleek, luxurious material qualities, became especially popular. Japanese lacquer artists in Paris, including Sougawara Seizo and Hamanaka Katsu, collaborated with French designers while also making their own distinctive works. Vietnamese artisans also worked as lacquerers, and some of the first modern lacquer paintings made in Hanoi were exhibited in Paris. While certain lacquer artists gained acclaim in Paris at the time and were able to exhibit under their own names, others were uncredited workers. Swiss-born artist Jean Dunand was the pre-eminent lacquer artist in Paris during the Art Déco period. He was renowned for his varied and experimental work. Dunand first learnt lacquer technique from the Japanese artist Sougawara Seizo in 1912, but Dunand’s production increased dramatically with the growth of his Vietnamese workforce in the 1920s, many of whom came from traditional lacquer-producing areas of Vietnam. As well as vases, household items, and furniture, Dunand’s workshop produced lacquer screens and panels on an immense scale. An impressive work from this atelier is La forêt (Forest) (1930), an immense six-metre-long folding screen that stands at three-metres tall, painted with gold and silver lacquer in depicting the lush flora of forest.
Hamanaka Katsu. Composition. c. 1930. Lacquer and gold leaf on wood; 2 panels, each 80 x 160 cm.
Collection of Galerie Lefebvre. © ADAGP, Paris, 2025
Asian influences could also be seen in the design of fashion, jewellery, and other luxury goods in Paris. While this pre-dated the 1920s period, the rise of Art Déco took such inspirations in a new direction. For example, Louis Cartier, grandson of the Maison Cartier’s original founder, was an art lover whose collection included Ryukyu lacquerware and Chinese porcelain, and made the family’s extensive library accessible to Cartier’s designers. Such sources were creatively reinterpreted by the Maison, and used in jewellery, timepieces, and luxurious versions of consumer objects like vanity cases or cigarette lighters.
The influence of Asian aesthetics can be seen in the use of materials like jade, lacquer, and black enamel, and in the forms and decoration of the objects. Thus, a portique clock is inspired by a Japanese Shinto gate, as well as using nephrite (jade) for its streamlined columns and lintel. Along with examples of Asian inspirations in fashion design, ceramics, and lacquerware, these objects show how Paris audiences had an existing idea of Asian art – something that could influence how the work of modern Asian artists was subsequently received.
Lê Phổ. L’Âge heureux (The Happy Age). 1930. Oil on canvas, 126 x 177 cm.
Private American collection. Photo: © Aguttes
Theatre of the Colonies, the second section, explores Paris as a simultaneous site for colonial propaganda and anti-colonial resistance through art and visual culture. Using stills from the International Colonial Exposition of 1931 as the exhibition backdrop, visitors will be transported to the government-initiated Expositions, which showcased the products of colonial empires. This provided a platform for Asian artists to present their work to an international audience. At the same time, as the capital city of a sprawling French colonial empire, anti-colonial activists often displayed their resistance by employing images, texts, and exhibitions to expose the violence and exploitation in the colonies.
For example, the International Colonial Exposition of 1931, designed to celebrate the ideology of colonialism, invited European powers to showcase the products of their empires, from artworks to recreations of local architecture. These displays also served as testaments of the colonisers’ contributions that civilised the colonies. Newly graduated students of the École de Beaux Arts de l’Indochine in Hanoi had their works exhibited at the Exposition to show the positive impact of the colonial education system. Lê Phổ, who was from the pioneer class of students, assisted the presentation of the exhibition and presented L’Âge heureux (The Happy Age) (1930). This marked the first international exposure for Vietnamese modern art and the stepping stone to greater visibility amongst international audiences. While it is difficult to know how Vietnamese artists truly felt about their work being presented in such a setting, it is clear that they used the opportunity to showcase the new directions in Vietnamese modern art, and to develop their careers outside of the colonial framework.
On the other hand, activists in Paris from both France and Indochina used images, texts, and exhibitions to highlight violence and exploitation in the colonies. Pamphlets, leaflets, and handbills were distributed near the Exposition, encouraging compatriots and sympathisers to donate funds to the development of a counter-Exposition, The Truth about the Colonies.
Lê Phổ. Le peigne blanc (The White Comb). Undated. Ink and colour on silk, 33.5 x 24 cm.
Collection of Sunseal Asia Limited. Image © Aguttes
The third section, Spectacle and Stage, discusses the fine balance between exoticism, caricature, and cultural identity. Besides artists and artisans, Asian dancers were a part of the dynamic culture of the 1920s to 1940s in Paris. Asian dance first appeared in Paris at World and Colonial Expositions in the late 19th century and by the 1920s, it was also featured in popular venues like night clubs, music halls, and theatres. While some venues presented caricatured versions of Asian dance, others offered dancers from Asia opportunities to experiment, leading to the development of new choreography that referenced Asian practices in a modern style. In this section, dance archives and film clips related to dancers Raden Mas Jodjana from Indonesia, Uday Shankar from India, Komori Toshi from Japan and the European dancer of colour, Nyota Inyoka, give the audience the opportunity to view examples of this dynamic exchange.
Liu Kang. View of Sacre Coeur. 1931. Gouache on paper, 25 × 16.5 cm.
Collection of the family of Liu Kang © Liu Kang Family
The fourth section, Sites of Exhibition, is dedicated to the places in Paris where Asian artists sold and exhibited their work. Drawn by the promise of prestige, artists navigated a complex landscape of commercial galleries, museum exhibitions, and large-scale, juried public shows known as salons. Success at these venues could open doors to state acquisitions and solo shows. To strategically position themselves within the competitive Parisian art scene, Asian artists used their networks while considering issues of personal and national identity, as well as public appeal.
Asian artists often showed in the same venues as their friends or teachers, with the Salon d’Automne – a large-scale salon which exhibited both academic and modern types of work – being one of the more popular venues. This middle-ground allowed artists to present artworks that drew on both classical techniques and avant-garde explorations that were more characteristic of modern art. For example, after graduating from the Xinhua Academy of Fine Arts in 1928, artist Liu Kang spent three years painting in Paris where he drew on Fauvist and post-Impressionism influences in his artistic practice, as seen from the strong colours and bold brushwork in View of Sacre Coeur. (1931). During Liu Kang’s period in Paris and Europe, he reconnected with his former teacher of the Shanghai Art Academy, Liu Haisu, and his friend Chen Jen Hao, forming a close-knot artistic circle who travelled, painted and exhibited together.
Itakulla Kanae. 《赤衣の女》(Woman in Red Dress). 1929. Oil on canvas, 116.8 x 80.3 cm.
Collection of Matsudo City Board of Education.
Image courtesy of Matsudo City Board of Education
Husband and wife Itakulla Kanae and Sumiko arrived in Paris in 1925. Itakulla created a series of works featuring Sumiko as his model, portraying her as the central anchor of the composition — seated, with impressionable eyes and a vibrant red dress. In 1929, Kanae’s work was exhibited in Paris and Sumiko’s in Brussels at exhibitions organised by the Association des artistes japonais (Association of Japanese Artists), supported by the leading patron, Baron Satsuma Jirohachi. Kanae and Sumiko’s artistic developments were cut short by their premature deaths at the ages of 28 and 25 respectively.
Georgette Chen arrived in Paris in 1927 to continue her formal artistic training, which had begun under private instruction in Shanghai under the Russian artist Victor Podgursky and later at the Art Students League in New York. Fluent in French from an early childhood spent in Paris, Chen adapted quickly to her studies at the Académie Colarossi while also attending other independent academies. Her professional debut came in 1930 when two of her paintings were accepted at the Salon d’automne. Over the next decade, she exhibited 12 works at various Paris salons, including the Salon des Tuileries and Salon of Independent Artists. In 1936, Chen held her first solo exhibition at Galerie Barreiro, showcasing 42 works inspired by a painting trip to Provence with her former Colarossi teacher, Charles Picart e Doux.
Yun Gee.《莫伯特广场》Place Maubert 1929
Oil on canvas, 73 x 60 cm. Private collection
Daily life was a regular source of inspiration for artists in Paris. They drew inspiration from the streetscapes and people they encountered where they lived and worked, turning the streets into their studios. Studio and Street highlights the impact of the Montparnasse district, a popular area for artists to congregate, with studios, informal or progressive art schools, and cafés. Foujita Tsuguharu was one of the key artists of the district, alongside other foreign modern artists like Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Moïse Kisling. Many migrant artists from Asia, including Pan Yuliang and Sanyu, also chose to settle in or near Montparnasse, because of its reputation as an artistic hub. The gathering of artists and creatives of diverse nationalities and backgrounds led to the vibrant collection of art styles emerging from the district, which eventually became known as the École de Paris (School of Paris).
Yun Gee was an important Chinese-American modernist painter whose artistic journey extended across multiple continents. He immigrated from Guangdong to San Francisco in 1921, where he established himself within the avant-garde circles of San Francisco, creating dynamic compositions inspired by cubism and characterized by vibrant colour palettes. His success enabled him to move to Paris, where from 1927 to 1930, Yun advanced his career in Paris and produced some of his best works. His painting of the Place Maubert shows a dynamic and subjective rendering of life in the modern city.
Amrita Sher-Gil. Untitled (Woman Wearing Shawl). c.1932. Oil on canvas, 42 x 33 cm.
Collection of the Dabriwala family
The painter Amrita Sher-Gil, of Indian and Hungarian heritage, spent five formative years in Paris from 1929 to 1934, studying at Montparnasse’s Académie de la Grande Chaumière and subsequently at the École des Beaux Art. Initially residing with her parents in Passy and near the Champs-Élysées, she later embraced a bohemian lifestyle in the Latin Quarter. Positioning herself as both an insider and outsider, she engaged with European modernism while questioning its premises. The portrait depicts a woman, likely Romani or Hungarian, wrapped in a striking red shawl, her presence imbued with both intimacy and quiet strength. With a gaze that neither submits nor invites, the woman reflects Sher-Gil’s own complex negotiation of selfhood. Here, she asserts an identity in a city that sought to define her through the exotic stereotypes she both leveraged and defied.
Through extensive life drawing practice at the Grande Chaumière, Sanyu developed a distinctive formal language for depicting the female nude. His oil paintings reflect an aesthetic deeply rooted in his understanding of Chinese pictorial art. Using a neutral palette, he created an almost flat space, with the pink hue of the figure exhibiting minimal tonal variation. The subtle contrast between the figure and background allows them to blend harmoniously, emphasising the delicate nuances of the figure’s contours. The most striking detail is the subject’s face, where succinct strokes capture her bobbed hairstyle and red lips. Additionally, traditional Chinese decorative emblems subtly reference Art Déco influences. Despite sharing the same subject matter as artists like Henri Matisse and Foujita Tsuguharu, Sanyu’s formal simplicity distinguishes his style from theirs. This style in oil painting reflects his training in Chinese painting.
Sanyu.《仰卧裸女》Reclining Pink Nude with Raised Arms. 1930s/1940s. Oil on canvas, 80.5 x 129.5 cm.
Collection of Leo Shih. Image courtesy of Leo Shih
The final section of the exhibition, Aftermaths, signals how World War II brought an end to many distinctive cultural features of Paris in the 1920s-1940s. The art world – like French society as a whole – grappled with the trauma of the war and the guilt of complicity during the Nazi Occupation. The pre-war period now appeared tainted, and artists sought new visual languages to distance themselves from a compromised past. For emigrant artists who had remained in Paris during the war, the aftermath also brought difficult choices. Following the outbreak of the First Indochina War in 1946 – in which Vietnam fought for its independence – Vietnamese artists who chose to remain in France found it difficult to return to their country of origin for decades.
Chinese artists who remained in France after World War II also struggled with marginality in Paris, as well as their distance from China. Meanwhile, post-war independence movements and nation-building throughout the world altered the global dynamics of power. Artists from Asia and elsewhere continued to arrive in Paris, but the city did not hold the same level of cultural prestige as it had before the war. New sites and hubs gained in significance with the energy of decolonisation, asserting their independence and cultural identity. The post-war period marked the beginnings of a less hierarchical global art world.
Autoportait aux lunettes (Self-Portrait with Glasses). c. 1950. Colours on silk, 45 × 32 cm.
Collection of Mai Lan Phuong
Mai Trung Thứ was one of the first graduating class of the Indochina School of Fine Arts in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he specialised in oil painting. Completing his studies in 1930, his artworks were sent to exhibitions in Paris, including the 1931 International Colonial Exposition, as well as at the Indochina Economic Agency (Agindo). The 1937 Exposition of the Arts and Techniques of Modern Life provided the occasion for him to travel to Paris as an assistant, after which he settled permanently in France. Through the late 1930s and 1940s, his work turned towards painting on silk, often on idealised Vietnamese subjects. During World War II, he engaged briefly in the French Army before being demobilised following the armistice of 1940-1. After the War, Mai Trung Thứ undertook a major film reportage of the visit of Hồ Chí Minh to Paris in 1946, to negotiate for Vietnamese independence. He also became an active supporter of the anti-war movement in France, often reflected subtly in his later works. Although residing permanently in France, he was able to revisit Vietnam again in the 1960s and 1970s, despite the difficult circumstances caused by wartime conditions. Mai Trung Thứ’s 1950 self-portrait presents him with a bold, thoughtful gaze painted in a confident style, set against the background of a French landscape.
Dr Eugene Tan, Chief Executive Officer and Director of National Gallery Singapore says, “We are excited to present City of Others, a groundbreaking exhibition that challenges traditional assumptions in art historical narratives. As the Gallery celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, we seek to deepen our exploration of our region’s art history within a global context by reframing narratives through a distinctly regional lens. City of Others continues our commitment to present fresh perspectives on modern art by highlighting often-overlooked figures who played important roles in shaping this significant period in art history. We are grateful for the support of our partners and sponsors who have made this exhibition possible.”
City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris, 1920s-1940s runs from 2nd April to 17th August 2025 at National Gallery Singapore.