Page 227 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

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this way, Loo turned this international pageant into an advertisement for his own

exhibition/sale activities.

Loo was aware that prominent museums with their power and authority, were ideal

stages that he could utilize to showcase his merchandises. Loo’s proposal to display a

prominent collection of paintings at the MFA in 1947 offers a case in point. In response

to Tomita’s wish to visit Loo’s gallery in New York, Loo suggested that he could,

instead, visit Boston and bring those paintings to show in the museum because “ …there

are so many persons coming to our Gallery every day, and they will surely notice that I

435
am showing you this collection (which I want to keep secret for the time being)…”

There was probably another motivation behind Loo’s offer, as Loo mentioned, “…it

would be more satisfactory if you could receive me either on Sunday the 14 or Monday

the 15, and I would bring you the whole collection (about 20 paintings) and if you could

have a gallery and hang the paintings on the wall together, then we can see them and in

fact you could keep them a few days, as long as no other persons-outside the Museum-

would see them.” 436 When some twenty treasured Chinese paintings were all hung in the

museum gallery, even it lasted only for a few days, it became an impressive special

exhibition.

Loo’s intention to use museum space to immortalize his showmanship was illustrated

by his gift of the large sixth-century stone head of a Bodhisattva to the Metropolitan

435 K. Tomita to C. T. Loo, November 21, 1947, folder C. T. Loo, box: I to L, 1936-1947,
AAOA-MFA; C. T. Loo to Tomita, November 24, 1947, folder C. T. Loo, box: I to L,
1936-1947, AAOA-MFA.
436 C. T. Loo to K. Tomita November 24, 1947, folder C. T. Loo, box: I to L, 1936-1947,
AAOA-MFA.