Profit Share: Greece Welcomes Chinese Artifacts

As part of the effort to deepen cooperation and understanding between Greece and China, the Acropolis Museum in Athens accepted an unprecedented proposal by the Palace Museum in Beijing to present 154 rare artifacts. The highly successful exhibition “from the forbidden city: imperial apartments of Qianlong”—which ran for 5 months until closing in February 2019 — was organized as part of the cultural program set forth by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture for the “Year Greece-China” and included never-before-seen works of art, ceremonial clothing, furniture, household items and texts from the private apartments of Emperor Qianlong in the Forbidden City. However, this was not the first time the Greek institution has aligned with a Chinese museum. From October 2017 to April 2018, the Acropolis Museum fruitfully partnered with the Shanghai Museum on a small-scale exhibition and art workshop collaboration in which two masterpieces from each establishment were exchanged and showcased. Upon reflection of both noteworthy events, staff stresses the importance of cultural exchange between civilizations in boosting understanding between East and West and believes that dialogue between the two cultures can continue far beyond the exhibitions. For more information, visit theacropolismuseum.gr.