Twentieth Century China experienced the collapse of its imperial system
and the rise of a modern nation state. It was a century of war and
revolution, as well as a time of reorientation and renewal. In their
search for inspiration and reform, Chinese artists travelled abroad
making Europe one of their foremost destinations. Artistic exchange and
international interaction at the beginning of the twentieth century
allowed museums and scholars in St. Petersburg, Prague, Berlin, Paris
and the United Kingdom to be among the first in the West to exhibit,
collect and study modern Chinese paintings.