Page 218 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

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tantalizing view of a fashionable Chinese woman adorned by Chinese antiquities must

have sent a seductive note to prospective buyers.

Another well-hidden commercial aspect of Loo’s connection with Wilma Prezzi is that

Loo was aware that she might acquire for herself the objects on loan from him. In

February 1944, Loo lent her a bronze statue of a kneeling woman, quoting the price of

$400. 418

Art, Women, and Wars

During the Sino-Japanese War and World War II, China was caught up in a swirl of

national and international crises. C. T. Loo and his wife actively participated in a series of

art programs for war relief and cultural diplomacy between China and the U.S. In 1947

for his service to the people of China Loo was awarded the special citations of the Order

of the Brilliant Star by the Chinese Ambassador to the United States. Mrs. C. T. Loo

worked for the organization, United China Relief. 419

Many charitable events in which C. T. Loo participated were politically charged

spectacles that featured women and art. As emblems of beauty, peace, and philanthropy,

women and Chinese art objects were used to cover or soften harsh political conflicts in

the turbulent years in the Sino-American relations.

This femininized and politicized nature of the art spectacle was best illustrated by the

1939 exhibition, Three Thousand Years of Chinese Jade, in which Mr. and Mrs. Loo

played an important part. The exhibits were loaned by collectors and museums

418 Inventory card 2117, FCA.
419 Ibid.