Page 234 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

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CONCLUSION: C. T. LOO, HERO OR VILLAIN?

C. T. Loo’s role in the circulation and reception of Chinese art was complex. In China

Loo has been condemned for his depletion of Chinese art patrimony. In sharp contrast,

Loo’s close friends and clients, Richard E. Fuller and Edward von der Heydt, viewed him

as a cultural hero and a good person. Fuller stated, “His many friends will cherish his

memory and generations to come should be most grateful to him for his initiative and

good taste in taking advantage of unique and fleeting opportunities…In purchasing these

treasures on the open market he channeled them into the great private and public

collections of the West where they will be preserved for posterity.” (Fuller, 1958:8)

Heydt remarked, “C. T. Loo was a real connoisseur, a good man and a reliable friend. I

knew him for more than 30 years, and I shall never forget him, nor shall I ever find his

like again.” (Heydt 1957,186)

Through an examination of Loo’s business operations, his negotiation of Chinese art

knowledge, and his display strategies, this dissertation concludes that on the one hand, C.

T. Loo, as a network builder, cultural mediator, and showman, played a significant role in

the collection, study, and display of Chinese art in America in the first half of the

twentieth century. Loo’s operations were characterized by border-crossing and

networking. Acting as a bridge between the East and the West, between ancient objects

and modern society, between the market, the museum world, and academia, Loo

capitalized on the boundaries between different territories, concepts, and roles, all in

response to changing circumstances. As he brought Chinese objects through various

social and cultural zones across Asia, Europe, and America, these objects metamorphosed