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Victoria, British Columbia

Art Gallery of Greater Victoriawww-link

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, with millions of different peoples. They follow a wide variety of different religions. Asia was the birthplace of most of the world's mainstream religions including: Shamanism, Shintoism, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as well as many other beliefs.
Historical backgrounds and development of the religious art will be surveyed briefly in the exhibition to provide context for the exhibition's central focus, which compares the art and basic beliefs of the various religions. The exhibition features sacred objects and art from most of the religions. However, due to the nature of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s Asian art collection, most of the artefacts on display will be Buddhist as this is one of the strengths of the collection..
(from the website of the museum)

 

 

 

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Chicago

THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGOwww-link

 

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)

 


 

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Denver

DENVER ART MUSEUM, ASIAN ART DEPARTMENTwww-link

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)


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Houston

Museum of Fine Arts, Houstonwww-link

This exhibition of 150 objects recognizes the importance of Vietnam in the cultural development of Southeast Asia, from the prehistoric period in the first millennium BCE through the 19th-century. Objects presented include early burial goods and large bronze ritual drums; gold jewelry with precious stones; Hindu and Buddhist sculptures; and beautifully decorated ceramics.


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Santa Ana, CA

THE BOWERS MUSEUMwww-link

 

 


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Washington, D.C.

FREER GALLERY OF ART / ARTHUR M. SACKLER GALLERY SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTEwww-link

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: 10.01.2009

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