The exhibition was conceived when the makers of Steuben glass decided to gather drawings from Asian artists in 1954. 36 artists were chosen at the end from the 16 countries they visited. 

The exhibition was exhibited at the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., then at the Metropolitan Museum of Art before going on a two-year tour to the home countries of the participating artists. The travelling exhibition opened in Seoul, Korea and ended in Cairo, Egypt. The exhibition was known to be a diplomatic and public relations success during the 1950s.