City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris, 1920s–1940s

City of Others: Asian Artists in Paris, 1920s–1940s explores the vibrant artistic world of interwar Paris from Asian perspectives. Published on the occasion of the exhibition at National Gallery Singapore, this catalogue examines Paris not only as a capital of modern art, but also as a complex meeting point for migrant artists, cultural exchange, ambition, exclusion, and reinvention.

The publication focuses on Asian artists who lived, worked, and exhibited in Paris during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, including Foujita Tsuguharu, Georgette Chen, Lê Phổ, Liu Kang, Pai Un-soung, Itakulla Kanae, and Hamanaka Katsu. Their experiences challenge the familiar Eurocentric narrative of modernism and reveal how artists from Asia shaped, questioned, and expanded the artistic life of Paris.

Richly illustrated with close to 200 artworks and 100 archival images, the catalogue also includes new research on dance, design, colonialism, reception, and migrant experience. Translations of selected primary sources, including artist letters, press reviews, and exhibition texts from the period, make the book especially valuable for readers interested in modern art, Asian art, and cross-cultural histories of the avant-garde.

Winner of the Best Illustrated Non-Fiction Title at the Singapore Book Awards 2026, City of Others Catalogue is an important addition to the study of modernism, migration, and Asian artists in twentieth-century Paris.