Photo by * etoile.
I’m sensing a trend here. Cities all over the country and the world participate in some kind of sister city program. Los Angeles is sister city to several other global towns, among them Mumbai in India, Guangzhou in China and even Makati in the Philippines. But some cities are taking it even a step further.
New York City’s Carnegie Hall is already sending out huge press kits about its upcoming JapanNYC program, a citywide celebration with a Southern Cali counterpart scheduled to kick off late this year. Massachusetts-based Peabody Essex Museum is also gearing up for its April “Sensational India!” fest, featuring filmmaker James Ivory. The San Francisco Bay Area, meanwhile, is celebrating all things Shanghainese with a citywide “Shanghai Celebration,” a festival of sorts with films, concerts, art and all kinds of other special events all about Shanghai.
"Shadow in the Water" (detail), 2002-2008. By Liu Jianhua (b. 1962). Installation with porcelain and light. Collection of the artist. Asian Art Museum's Shanghai exhibit.
The cornerstone of this celebration is the Asian Art Museum‘s grand Shanghai exhibit. With more than 130 paintings, revolutionary posters, fashion and even movie clips from U.S.- and Shanghai-based museums, the exhibit attempts to cover the rich history of that most cosmopolitan of cities.
"Nanjing Road," 1947. By Ni Yide (1901-1970). Oil on canvas. Private Collection. Asian Art Museum's Shanghai exhibit.
"A Prosperous City That Never Sleeps," 1930s. By Yuan Xiutang (dates unknown). Chromolithograph on paper. Collection of the Shanghai History Museum. Asian Art Museum's Shanghai exhibit.
The Asian Art Museum’s Shanghai exhibit runs now through September 5, 2010.
DETAILS: Asian Art Museum, 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco.
