Page 58 - C.T. Loo A paper about his impact and activities in the Chinese art Market

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Promotion

Publicity

Loo understood that visibility and reputation were crucial to the value of art

merchandises. Loo made a great effort to imprint his art collection on the public

consciousness through publications and exhibitions. With an awareness of the incipient

interest in ancient Chinese art in the West, Loo organized a series of activities in the

1920s to promote a collection of the excavated jades from Henan. Loo stated, “Those

small jade ornaments with beautiful color, were quite new to all of us and so interesting

that I felt they should be published as documentation for future research. Professor Paul

Pelliot, a good friend of mine, finally agreed to help me and we published: Jades

Archaiques de la Chine. C. T. Loo & Cie, Paris, 1925.” (Loo 1950, Preface) According to

Loo, during 1925-1926, he brought the collection to the U.S. and exhibited them in

Chicago, however he failed to sell them as a lot. He observed, “…it seems that the time

was not ripe for the public to understand this type of art, so I was unable to sell them”

(Loo 1950, Preface).

Loo’s publications often went hand-in-hand with his research and sale/exhibition

projects. After the acquisition of an outstanding bronze collection, Loo launched a

research and promotion campaign. He enlisted two leading experts in the field, Tch’ou

Tö-yi and Paul Pelliot, to compile a well-researched catalogue with high quality

photographic illustrations. After the catalogue was published, Loo traveled from Paris to

New York, and launched an exhibition in Montross Gallery from December 5 to 20,

86420, FCA).Yellow folder, 86420, the second drawer (without label) from the top on the
far right, FCA.