Close up: China and Art of the Enlightenment

Berlin’s Staatliche Museen, the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden and the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen Munich will be jointly presenting a sweeping exhibition of European art from the Enlightenment at the National Museum of China. This will be the first international exhibition this museum will host since its reopening after extensive renovation work by Hamburg-based architects Gerkan, Marg und Partner. This report looks at how this joint exhibition came about and examines what significance it might have. Following the final stages before the opening in Beijing the report introduces the museums involved and looks into the background of this unique event and the movers and shakers behind it.