Museums are the pivot of a city; by attracting tourists and locals to their fine collections of art — ranging from Renaissance Europe to Medieval Asian art — they allow us a peek into the rich cultures of the East and the West.  

On a recent visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I was struck by the vastness of European and American art displayed: From American painter John Singer Sargent’s epic depictions of American exceptionalism through his landscapes to the ostentatious collection of the kings and queens of the British Isles, there was a grandeur in the works. By contrast, the Eastern section housed a more limited collection of art. Furthermore, the “East,” as it appeared, was art of Asia, Oceania and Africa grouped into one section. Each of these cultures is distinct, beautiful and vast. Yet it appeared that they were all viewed as one entity.

All this accentuated the divide between the East and the West that exists in other areas of life as well; indeed, even in art, Europe received more attention than Asia, Oceania and Africa.

If we observe the history of art, there is a movement known as “Orientalism.” This is a literary, artistic, musical and scholarly pursuit of the East. Quite often, it depicts the East through the West’s eyes. For instance, typical examples of such art include representations of kimono-clad European women. 

One particular painting that generated controversy at the MFA is “La Japonaise” — also known as “Camille Monet in Japanese Costume” — by the celebrated French Impressionist painter Claude Monet. This painting depicts Monet’s wife, Camille Monet, in a Japanese kimono and a blond wig, which, according to the MFA, emphasizes her “Western identity.” 

In the summer of 2015, the MFA invited members of the public to don a kimono and stand in front of the painting. Protesters quickly reacted and claimed that the curators and staff received “no education on the painting” or Orientalism. They were upset with how the museum depicted the East.

This is a lack of understanding about the East that is seen quite often. After all, what was the reason for such a public program? The museum, in an attempt to engage with the public, failed to consider that it might upset certain individuals. 

In all fairness, I am not solely targeting the MFA. We see this East-West argument in other platforms. One such is in the news. After all, why do Western news outlets provide only limited coverage of bombings in Eastern cities?

From 2015 to 2016, Turkey witnessed horrific bombings. Just in August, more than 50 people, mostly children, were killed in Turkey’s city of Gaziantep because of a suicide attack. Later, there was outrage on social media about the “hypocrisy” of the media, and social media users questioned why the Western media did not cover the news as extensively as Paris and Brussels.

Even Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to the Western media’s lack of coverage by saying, “The bombs that went off in Istanbul could have gone off in any city in the world, in any airport. I want everyone to understand that, to the terrorists, there is no difference between Istanbul and London, Ankara and Berlin, Izmir and Chicago,” according to an Aug. 23 Independent article. 

Prior to this, last year, a Russian civilian jet carrying 224 people was downed in Egypt by a potential bomb from the Islamic State group, according to a Nov. 17, 2015 BBC article. In this case, as well, the Western media failed to give proper attention, as voiced on social media.

Even Facebook, which allowed users to show solidarity with France during the Paris attacks last year, was criticized by its own users for not doing the same with Eastern countries. 

More recently, we saw an increase in xenophobia heightened by the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis. This is a time when developed countries should provide aid. Instead, there is a growing divide created by misunderstanding and confusion about the East within countries, leading to extremist political parties in Britain, France and Germany.

In Britain, one may argue that Brexit — the United Kingdom leaving the European Union — was because of the rise of the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), who are intent on stopping immigration. In France, there is growing support for a right-wing extremist, Marine le Pen, in the upcoming elections. In Germany, a nation that has welcomed close to 600,000 refugees, Chancellor Angela Merkel lost in the recent Berlin election where an anti-immigrant party won seats for the first time in the parliament. 

All this further contributes to the East-West divide because of misconceptions and misinformation. Unfortunately, it is so ingrained that we fail to notice it in our own surroundings — including places of learning. It appears the art world — museums specifically — also engages in the East-West debate.

Yet it is important to point out that this debate is not new in art. Western art has been scrutinized for depicting the East as “exotic.” 

Today, at museums, we see a more nuanced view of this argument. For instance, “Asian art” has come to define everything ranging from Islamic to Japanese to Chinese art, encompassing a time period from prior to 0 CE to the 19th century. In contrast, European art is well structured, ordered and dated from the Medieval to the 20th century.

Our society, unintentionally, is focused disproportionately on the West and how it perceives the world. This is not even a recent phenomenon. However, in a world that is attempting to embrace  globalization and purports to consider “diversity” and “equality,” this is the stark reality. 

Eastern cultures are rich in art. Even if museums, such as the MFA, do not deliberately try to offend groups, the divide is present. Perhaps museums are just another player in this great big game.