Where:
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Admission:
FREE
Categories:
Accessible Spots, Art, History, University
Event website:
https://bit.ly/3YhJgar
How did the sale of opium in China by Massachusetts merchants in the 19th century contribute to a growing appetite for Chinese art at Harvard at the start of the 20th century?
Objects of Addiction: Opium, Empire, and the Chinese Art Trade (September 15, 2023–January 14, 2024), explores the entwined histories of the opium trade and the Chinese art market between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. These two commodities—acquired through both legal and illicit means—had profound effects on the global economy, public health, immigration law, education, and the arts that are reverberating still today.