Surreal century

"We also anticipate that this exhibition will further enhance the active role the museum plays in promoting cultural exchanges between China and the West, opening up new prospects for cooperation and development through culture."

The exhibition, which marks the first collaboration between the National Galleries of Scotland and the Pudong museum, isn't scheduled to tour other parts of China.

Groom visited the Shanghai museum's construction site in 2019.

"To say I was staggered by the size, scale and speed of the endeavor would be an understatement," he recalls.

"How remarkable the project was became apparent during 2020, as I watched from home, via Zoom, in complete admiration and awe, as the building work continued when the rest of the world appeared to be frozen in motion. And then it opened on time in 2021."

These surrealist artworks have been displayed by major museums around the world, but Shanghai marks the first time this collection has toured in its entirety, Groom says.