Opening: And yet it all began so well

The Chinese Women exhibition explores various aspects of women’s lives in Chinese culture through a selection of works highlighting their condition and the tensions associated with it. It begins by examining the traditional representation of women in art, from the funerary sculptures of the Tang dynasty to portraits of mature wives from the Qing dynasty. The exhibition also looks at the idealized image of the Chinese woman in Europe, spread through export porcelain and chinoiseries by artists like Watteau and Boucher. It further addresses themes such as marriage, female ornaments, foot binding, and protective female deities, concluding with the stories of Chinese women artists, from Dong Xiaowan to Peng Wei. The exhibition includes contributions from the Musée Ariana, the Museum of Art and History, the Ethnography Museum of Geneva, and the Rietberg Museum of Zurich.