V&A Censors Catalogue After Pressure from China
To receive Morning Links in your inbox every weekday, sign up for our Breakfast with ARTnews newsletter. The Headlines CHINA’S RED PEN. The Victoria and Albert Museum censored maps and images in its catalogues following objections from its Chinese printer and state authorities over content deemed sensitive to Beijing, the Guardian reports. The museum agreed to remove material from at least two recent exhibition publications, including an image of Vladimir Lenin and a 1930s illustration of British imperial trade routes featuring a map of China. In a statement, the institution said it was “comfortable making minor edits.” However, the Guardian’s investigation suggests there was internal unease over the unexpected demands. An email reviewed by the newspaper from Chinese printer C&C Offset Printing, which produced the catalogue, said the original map had been “rejected” by Beijing’s censorship body, the General Administration of Press and Publication. “Our suggestion is to delete this map or use another image,” the email continued. The museum complied, but staff were reportedly baffled. “It’s a historic map showing British colonial rule, so nothing to do with China, just shows …
