The Development of East Asian Art Collections in Europe:
Networks – Market Mechanisms – Taste (1842-1939)
The forced opening of East Asia in the mid-nineteenth century suddenly opened an enormous market of original art treasures, setting off a wildfire of euphoria for asiatica in the West. In the Western concessions in East Asia, as well as in Europe and the United States, a flurry of collecting and dealership in art objects sprang up, sustained as much by smugglers, intermediary agents, and officials, as by collectors, dealers, and experts. The present research project concentrates on these international actors and their transnational networks, both of which influenced the Western engagement with the art of the Far East, providing access to the artworks and thus leaving a lasting mark on the character of our East Asian art collections. The investigation will be based on a reconstruction of the geography of the art market (places, actors, objects) through an analysis of the networks. Information will thus be gained on the interaction of the actors and their influence on the development of the market and the collections during the period between 1842 – the year of the forced opening of China, setting off the general opening of East Asia – and 1939 – the outbreak of World War II. The examination of national and individual interests dependent upon political, economic, and technological developments is likely to throw light on decisions concerning the distribution, quality, and prices of the objects that found their way into both the private and state collections of Europe.