The nineteenth century is known as the era of scientific and technological progress. An event that symbolized that progress was the first international exposition, officially the “Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations,” held in London in 1851. This spectacle, in which the newest inventions, advanced technologies, and the flora and fauna and customs of distant lands unfolded as a vast panorama, astonished and thrilled everyone—monarchs and ordinary people, young and old, male and female.
In Paris, five international expositions, or expos, were held between 1855 and 1900, and Émile Gallé (1846-1904), glass artist and craftsman, seized the opportunities the expositions offered, achieving great success at each. In 1867, he experienced the enthusiasm for Japonisme. In 1878, he made his debut as a young craftsman. He won his first Grand Prix at the 1889 expo, for which the Eiffel Tower was built. At the 1900 expo, he again gloried in a Grand Prix, reaching the pinnacle of his artistic career.
This exhibition, held in conjunction with Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan, the first international expo in Japan in twenty years, focuses on works that Gallé exhibited at the expos and reflects on his activities there. It also includes works that the Brothers Daum, his friendly rivals, showed at expos, and the works of René Lalique, who attracted attention as a glass artist at the 1925 Art Deco Expo.