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Victoria, British Columbia
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
- Treasures Unearthed: Chinese Archaeological Artefacts from Shang to Tang 16thC BCE – 10th
C CE
November 23, 2007 to March 2, 2008
In the past, many ancient tombs throughout China were raided or looted
for their artifacts and sold to Chinese scholars, foreign collectors and museums. Art historians
have come to admire the great beauty and exquisite workmanship of these tomb artifacts, which offer
unrivalled material for the study of daily life and ancient technologies, while revealing the
different classes of people found in China and how each prepared for the afterlife. The items come
from the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s extensive Chinese archaeological collections and will be
enhanced by a large intended gift of early gold, silver and bronze treasures from Joey and Toby
Tanenbaum of Toronto.
(from the website of the museum)
Berkeley, CA
Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
- Parting the Curtain: Asian Art Revealed
June 27, 2007 - July 20, 2008
“Asian art” is not one but many diverse expressions of culture, religion, and aesthetics. The
broad geographical range of Asia, from the subcontinent of India to the islands of Japan, captures
enormous diversity in people as well as artistic production. Understanding elements of this vast
territory through its arts is one of the goals of the current installation in Gallery 4, which is
divided into five sections exploring specific avenues of artistic endeavor in South and East Asia:
The Literati Tradition: Scholarly Pursuits in China and Japan; Art for the Afterlife: Chinese Tomb
Culture; Ideals of Beauty in India; Tibetan and Buddhist Ritual Arts: The Bernard-Murray Tibetan
Collection; and Buddhist Imagery of India and Tibet.
Chinese paintings, the backbone of the collection, are on view alongside a selection of Japanese
paintings and woodblock prints. The installation places traditional arts of the scholar gentleman in
juxtaposition with newer works by the avant-garde artist Xu Bing, challenging the viewer to see what
is new in the old and what is old in the new.
The exhibition also showcases the museum’s astounding collection of early Chinese tomb material,
ranging from beautifully crafted storage pots of the Neolithic period (10,000–2100 BCE), with their
swirling abstract designs, to guardian figures of the Tang (618–907 CE). A group of bronze vessels
highlights the significant role of ancestor worship in early Chinese history.
A noteworthy addition to the new installation is a selection of Tibetan material from the
Bernard-Murray Tibetan Collection that was recently gifted to UC Berkeley. This will be the first
major presentation of thangkas (religious paintings), ritual objects, and film clips from this
extensive collection, which is held jointly by BAM/PFA, the Bancroft Library, and the Hearst Museum.
The adventurer Theos Bernard collected the material on a 1939 journey to Tibet, where he
participated in festivals and studied Tantric Buddhism. His journals, films, photographs, and art
collection are considered an important record of pre-Communist Tibet. An anonymous private collector
has also loaned complementary Tibetan material, allowing for an expanded view of Buddhist arts.
(from the website of the museum)
Chicago
THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO
- "Barbarian Kingdoms": Ancient Treasures of South and Southwest China
April 3–July 5, 2010
As the first comprehensive exhibition ever held in North America of the ancient art and culture
of Southwest China, “Barbarian Kingdoms”: Ancient Treasures of South and Southwest China
will feature more than 150 splendid works of art from the Bronze Age Kingdom of Dian, near modern
Kunming in the Yunnan Province, part of the highest plateau on Earth which joins Tibet in the
Northwest and extends eastward to south China. The Kingdom of Dian emerged there as a major power
during the 4th century B.C. and flourished for nearly 500 years. This exhibition will showcase
objects made of bronze, gold, lacquer, and jade that reveal the superb artistry of the Dian. No
other culture anywhere in Southeast Asia provides us with such a detailed picture of their customs,
rituals, and beliefs. Through these objects, the exhibition will explore ancient Yunnan’s material
culture as well as its spiritual world, and aims to make the complex and intriguing art of ancient
China accessible to a broad American audience, and to heighten awareness of the role that Yunnan has
played in the cultural history of Asia. In addition to art works from Dian, “Barbarian Kingdoms”
will also feature objects from neighboring regions in China and Southeast Asia that show Yunnan’s
position in a large network of cultural interaction. Bordering Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar and
located toward the southwest of central China, the Yunnan region is an important cultural crossroads
with a complex history and geography. “Barbarian Kingdoms” promises to break new art
historical ground by giving a comprehensive survey of this dynamic region.
(from the website of the museum)
Denver
DENVER ART MUSEUM, ASIAN ART DEPARTMENT
- Heaven and Home:
Chinese Art of the Han Dynasty from the Sze Hong Collection
permanent exhibition
During the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), the Chinese placed objects in
tombs to accompany the deceased into the afterlife. This practice prepared for the soul’s journey
from one world to another. Jars with mountain-shaped lids conjured images of Penglai, a celestial
realm inhabited by spirits and mythical creatures. The Chinese also viewed the afterlife as a
continuation of earthly existence. Tomb furnishings reproduced familiar household buildings,
livestock, and daily provisions. Models of granaries and wellheads symbolically provided food and
water. Sculptures of watchdogs and domestic fowl assured animal companionship, and vessels and
containers held food and other commodities.
(from the website of the museum)
Houston
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
- Arts of Korea gallery
December, 2007 to December 15, 2008
The long-term agreement between the MFAH and the National Museum of Korea includes the loan of
Korean National Treasures and serves as the foundation of the Korean Art and Culture Initiative, at
the heart of which is the establishment of a larger, permanent MFAH gallery for Korean art of the
highest aesthetic and cultural significance. This gallery has been established with support from the
Korea Foundation. The Korean Art and Culture Initiative also calls for the introduction of a
comprehensive interpretive program for visitors and will involve the local Korean community.
Scheduled to open in December 2007, the Arts of Korea gallery will be located in the Caroline Wiess
Law Building and will be the only museum gallery in the Southwest dedicated to Korean art. Ancient
and contemporary works spanning 5,000 years will include extraordinary objects on loan from the
National Museum of Korea as well as artworks from the MFAH collection. Additionally, a strong
component of educational activities and public programs will contribute toward cultural
understanding among visitors of diverse backgrounds.
The opening of the Arts of Korea gallery marks the first step toward the goal of full representation
of Asian art at the MFAH. By 2008, approximately triple the current exhibition space will be devoted
to the display and interpretation of Asian art. Other Asian cultures represented in the MFAH
collection are China, Japan, India, Indonesia, and Southeast Asia. Each will have new gallery space,
with the Chinese and Indian galleries scheduled to open in January 2008, and the Japanese gallery in
the fall of 2008.
(from the website of the museum)
On exclusive loan from the National Museum of Korea are two national treasures from the 5th
century Silla Kingdom, a crown with pendants (National Treasure no. 87) and a girdle with pendants
(National Treasure no. 88). The two rare gold pieces are making their first appearance outside
Korea, and can be viewed at the MFAH through January 2008.
Kansas
NELSON-ATKINS MUSEUM OF ARTS
- Rising Dragon: Ancient Treasures from China
October 6, 2007 to February 10, 2008
Reaching across the rich heritage of China’s ancient dynasties, this exhibition features never
before seen new acquisitions from the Nelson-Atkins extraordinary Chinese collection. Each object
tells a story of the culture, the people and their beliefs that have endured for centuries. Among
the finest surviving examples, from nearly seven centuries of China’s past, these works exhibit
master craftsmanship in bronze, stoneware, jade and more. A royal palace dragon stands guard, just
as it did nearly five hundred years ago, beckoning visitors to discover the treasures of ancient
China.
(from the website of the museum)
Santa Ana, CA
THE BOWERS MUSEUM
- "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of the First Emperor"
May 18 - October 12, 2008
- "ANCIENT ARTS OF CHINA: A 5000 Year Legacy"
September 4, 2007 (permanent exhibition)
Washington, D.C.
FREER GALLERY OF ART / ARTHUR M. SACKLER GALLERY SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE
- Ancient Chinese Pottery and Bronze
Continuing indefinitely
Clay, jade, and bronze are the dominant materials used in the art of ancient China from around
4000 B.C.E. to the early centuries C.E. Of these, clay and bronze appear to have been closely linked
in their developments. Both materials were used to make pots and containers in a variety of shapes,
the best of which were buried with their owners as status symbols or signs of wealth. Both required
an intimate knowledge of the materials and expert handling to create the finished product.
The selection of ceramic and bronze vessels on view begins at the important juncture between the end
of the Neolithic pottery tradition and the emergence of the metalworking tradition (around 2000
B.C.E.), and stops at the end of the Bronze Age and the rise of glazed stoneware (around 200 C.E.).
The exhibition shows the complex, changing relationship between two of China's oldest artistic
traditions.
(from the website of the museum)
Last modified: 15.07.2008