Chinese exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum attracts record 815,992 visitors
China: Through the Looking Glass, looking at Chinese aesthetics' impact on Western fashion, included decoration of 1950s Dior dress inspired by Chinese calligraphy about stomach ache
A New York exhibition exploring Chinese influence on Western fashion attracted a record 815,992 visitors during a four-month summer run that ended on Monday in a sign of China’s growing clout in the United States.
“China: Through the Looking Glass” was the most visited show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and the fifth most popular show at the entire museum overall.
It broke the Institute’s previous record set by a 2011 show celebrating the late British fashion designer Alexander McQueen, which went on display shortly after his death, the museum said.
Nearly 816,000 visitors flocked to the China exhibition, compared with 661,509 for McQueen
The exhibition, which had opened on May 7, explored the impact of Chinese aesthetics on Western fashion and how China fuelled the fashion imagination for centuries.
It juxtaposed some of the world’s finest haute couture with jewellery and works of Chinese art, focusing on Imperial China, 1920-40s Shanghai and the People’s Republic of China.
