What's Happening in Asian Art...
April 20, 2023
Murata Gen 村田 元 (1904-1988), Jar, Iron and Rice Husk Glaze 糠白黒釉扁壺, H8.5" x W7.5" x D6.5", Stoneware, With Signed Wood Box
April 24- May 17, 2023
Dai Ichi Arts is delighted to present the first ever solo exhibition of the works of Mingei artist Murata Gen in North America. The show will explore the range of vessels and functional forms by Murata, with an emphasis on his sensitivity for painted clay surfaces.
Murata has been a favorite of Mingei collectors for decades, but his works have never received the recognition they deserve. Considered as the underdog of the Mingei folk-craft canon in the world of Japanese ceramics, Murata Gen’s works are underestimated yet influential, and this exhibition aims to celebrates him as an important part of Mashiko, Mingei, and the legacy of Japanese folk-craft.
The accompanying exhibition catalog includes an interview with Mingei collector Jeffrey Montgomery.
To see more examples of his work, click here
April 19, 2023
Terumasa Ikeda, b. 1987, "Labyrinth" incense container, 2023, Urushi lacquer, cypress, turbo snail pearl, mother-of-pearl, silver lip oyster, black lip oyster, gold, H0.82 x W2.24 x D2.24 in, H2.1 x W5.7 x D5.7 cm
Terumasa Ikeda: Iridescent lacquer
at Ippodo Gallery closes on April 20
Painted Clay: Wada Morihiro and Modern Ceramics of Japan
at Joan B Mirviss LTD ends on April 21
Wada Morihiro (1944-2008), Large standing vessel decorated with “Repeated Rectangular Pattern" (kanmonki), ca. 1991, Slip-glazed stoneware, 17 1/4 x 9 1/4 x 7 1/8 in.
Heated Colors, Hammered Forms: Female Metal Artists of Japan
at Onishi Gallery concludes on April 22
Otsuki Masako (1943-2022), Silver Vase “Ko” (Sparkling Water), 2007, Silver metal carving with gold decoration, h. 11 7/8 x w. 13 x d. 8 1/4 in. (30.2 x 33 x 21 cm)
April 18, 2023
Vasudhara Tara Portrait
April 20 - July 2, 2023
Opening April 20 at 6:30 pm
RSVP here: https://events.thus.org/programs/alchi-exhibition-opening-reception/?mc_cid=16d2361e47&mc_eid=9c780654f3
At an altitude of ten thousand feet nestled in a lush valley surrounded by the majestic Himalayas, the world-renowned Buddhist monastery complex of Alchi is a destination for art lovers and seekers alike. Mandalas and towering sculptures of Bodhisattvas adorn the walls, ceilings and doors of each temple and include scenes from the Buddha’s life as well as secular life from a period of tremendous cross-cultural activity in the region. Alchi holds some of the oldest surviving paintings in Ladakh.
For more information about the exhibition: Click Here
Don't miss two related programs:
Mandala: In Search Of Enlightenment | Peter Van Ham In Conversation With Matthew R. DeSantis
April 21, 2023 • 6:00pm
FREE • In-person at Tibet House US
Register Here
Earth Day: A Workshop On High-Altitude Photography | Preserving Cultural Heritage Sites
April 22, 2023 • 2:00pm
$10-50 • In-person at Tibet House US
Register Here
April 14, 2023
Farmland at Dawn (晓之⽥), 1962, Lui Shou-Kwan, Alisan Fine Arts © Helen Ting
Ink Play: Paintings by Lui Shou-Kwan
April 15-July 16, 2023
Lui Shou-Kwan 吕寿琨 (1919–1975) was one of the pioneers of the New Ink painting movement, which aimed to modernize traditional Chinese ink painting in Hong Kong in the 1950s–1970s.
Lui had extensive training in various traditional styles, including calligraphy and landscape painting, where the emphasis is on copying a master’s work. Moving to Hong Kong in 1948 when it was a British colony (which it remained until 1997), Lui also had exposure to Western modern art, including Abstract Expressionism. He came to believe that an artist should not merely copy an established style but should express themselves and develop their own unique approach to art.
Beginning in the late 1950s, Lui combined calligraphic brushwork with a modernist sensibility, creating a style characterized by spontaneous playfulness and splashing brushwork. Later, inspired by his experience with Buddhist meditation and Daoist philosophy, he began to experiment with abstraction and created his Zen paintings. By the 1970s, his innovative visual vocabulary had helped spark an international interest in Chinese traditions of ink painting and its contemporary interpretations. Both through his role and work in the New Ink movement and as a sought-after educator, Lui was extremely influential on the generation of artists who followed.
Jointly organized by the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the exhibition is curated by Tao Wang, Pritzker Chair of Asian art, curator of Chinese art, and executive director of initiatives in Asia, and Josh Yiu, director, Art Museum, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Sponsors
Support for Ink Play: Paintings by Lui Shou-Kwan is provided by Alisan Fine Arts, American Friends of the Shanghai Museum, the family of Lui Shou-Kwan, Lawrence Chu, Whang Shang Ying, and Jerry Yang.
For more information, click here.
April 13, 2023
Tokuda Yasokichi III (1933-2009), Living National Treasure, Flower Vase, 2005, Porcelain with vivid colored glaze (yôsai), h. 10 1/2 x dia. 5 1/4 in. (26.7 x 14.6 cm)
The Four Elements in Japanese Arts: Earth, Air, Fire and Water
April 5 - May 12, 2023
Hours: Wed & Fri: 1-5pm
Onishi Gallery is proud to present The Four Elements in Japanese Arts: Earth, Air, Fire and Water - a stunning exhibition that showcases the technical mastery of Contemporary Japanese Ceramic artists. For generations, Japanese people have appreciated and incorporated natural elements into their everyday lives. They have adorned the interiors of their homes with natural forms, designed spaces that capture the natural world in the frame of a garden, decorated art objects with subjects found in the wild, and penned haiku poetry about details of the natural environment. In this landmark exhibition, featured artists draw upon the four central elements of earth, air, fire, and water in porcelain creations to communicate core themes and creative visions that ground Japanese art and life.
April 12, 2023
Saturday April 15th, 2 to 5 pm.
Admission: $20 for general, $10 for members.
At the PPT presentation hosted by Willow Weilan Hai 海蔚蓝, SVP, Director, and Chief Curator of the China Institute Gallery, three contemporary female artists will introduce their artworks and discuss their creations and relationship with nature and flower-and-bird painting, followed by a light reception.
Lu Youlan 陆友兰, in her talk My Father and I, will introduce the artworks of her father Lu Yifei 陆抑非 (1908－1997), a Chinese flower-and-bird painting master of the 20th century, and her own art practice.
Guo Zhen 郭桢 will give light to her approach from traditional to modern through the flower and bird painting subject.
Cui Fei 崔斐 will share her thoughts on using natural materials to build up her artworks and to reflect the nature.
Eventbrite Link
April 11, 2023
The Court of Yama, God of Death; Attributed to Gursaha (India, active circa 1800); India, Himachal Pradesh, Guler, circa 1800; Ink and watercolor on paper; 19 1/4 x 23 7/8 in. (48.89 x 60.64 cm); Gift of Paul F. Walter (M.75.113.8)
Symposium: To Hell and Back
An exploration of artistic expressions of the afterlife across Asia
In person, Friday, April 14 – Saturday, April 15 at Asia Society
Hell has been embodied and portrayed in terrifying, bizarre, and occasionally humorous incarnations across religions and cultures for millennia. Whether considered as places of eternal or finite punishment, underworlds provide a rich setting for a potent cast of characters that have caught the imagination of artists and patrons who have shaped the visual cultures of Asia’s systems of belief, particularly Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Islam.
Hell is a universal concept, yet few have an understanding of the breadth and depth of the religious and cultural traditions that ponder the afterlife. We hope that this exhibition and symposium brings new dimensions to some of the notions of hell in Asian art, faith, and culture.
Join scholars in the fields of religion, theology, art history, and anthropology for an interdisciplinary symposium on hell(s) that will explore artistic expressions of the afterlife across religious traditions in Asia. Symposium admission includes all sessions, cocktail reception, museum admission, and performance tickets.
For the schedule of events and to buy tickets, click here.
April 10, 2023
A Buddhist monk's stole (kesa), Japan, Edo period, 1603–1868, silk, Gift of Charles Lang Freer, Freer Gallery of Art, F1916.663
Tuesday, April 11, 12:00-12:40
Sneak Peek—Inside "A Journey of Taste: Freer and Japanese Scroll Mounting"
A little-known aspect of Charles Lang Freer’s collecting was his deep commitment to the aesthetic presentation and care of his East Asian painting collection. In 1916, he hired two scroll-mounters from Japan to remount hundreds of his paintings before they were transferred to the Smithsonian. This set the precedent for the East Asian Painting Conservation Studio, which continues to conserve and remount this growing collection today. In connection with the exhibition A Journey of Taste: Freer and Japanese Scroll Mounting, conservator Andrew Hare and curator Frank Feltens will share some of the behind-the-scenes stories about the hanging scrolls, archival albums, videos, and people that made this journey-themed centennial exhibition possible.
Register here: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZtYeUinKQnGarXH2A4ByGA
April 6, 2023
A large Neolithic mottled gray jade cong, Liangzhu Culture, circa 3000-2500 B.C.; Courtesy of Bonhams
Thanks to active internet bidding, sales at the auction houses during the pandemic were surprisingly successful, but the buzz generated by crowded viewing and sale rooms was absent. With travel restrictions lifted, particularly from China, Asian art collectors, curators and enthusiasts thronged to New York from all over the world, attracted by the major works and collections being offered. One of the most eagerly anticipated was the collection of J.J. Lally & Co, the foremost Chinese art dealer in the United States, sold at Bonhams and Christie’s. Driven by a pent-up demand, prices surged, and records were set. Here are some examples.
Bonhams’ first auction of the week, Fine Chinese Works of art from J.J. Lally & Co. was very well attended and was a white-glove sale (100% sold). The price for a deeply carved tall Neolithic gray jade cong from the Liangzhu culture soared to $1,500,375 (estimate $30,000-50,000). It was the start of a banner week for the house, which notched its highest total for a series of Asian art sales in New York.
An Important White Porcelain Moon Jar, Joseon Dynasty (18th Century)
17 3/4 in. (45.1 cm.) high; courtesy Christie’s
Record prices were achieved at Christie’s in two categories in the Japanese and Korean Works of Art sale. A large white 18th century Joseon porcelain moon jar from Korea brought $4,560,000 the week’s top price and a record for this type of jar (estimate $1-2 million), which is difficult to make and much admired. “The jar was very large and early in date and therefore exceptionally rare,” said Heakyum Kim of HK Art & Antiques.
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) Kanagawa oki nami ura (Under the well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa) [“Great Wave”]
Horizontal oban: 9 7/8 x 14 5/8 in. (25.1 x 37.1 cm.); Courtesy of Christie’s
A record price was also set for one of the most famous Japanese prints ever made, Kanagawa oki nami ura (Under the Well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa), by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), when it fetched $2,760,000 (estimate $500,000-700,000). “It makes sense when a work of art as iconic and influential as The Great Wave achieves a spectacular price at auction, particularly when it is an early impression on par with the very few surviving excellent examples known, and those are primarily only found in institutions,” commented Katherine Martin of Scholten Japanese Art.
A Rare and Unusual Imperial Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Tibetan-Style Ewer
Qianlong Seal Mark within a Double Square and of the Period; Courtesy of Doyle
The top lot of the Asian Works of Art sale at Doyle was an unusual Imperial Chinese blue and white porcelain Tibetan-style ewer, Qianlong Mark and of the Period. The ewer had been purchased from renowned dealer C.T Loo & Cie, with an appraisal from Francis J. (Frank) Caro, 1990, a distinguished provenance. It sold for $441,000 (estimate $20-40,000).
A Tibetan gilt bronze figure of Mahasiddha, 11-5/8 x 9 x 6-1/4 inches (29.5 x 22.9 x 15.9 cm); courtesy of Heritage Auctions
At Heritage Auctions, a Tibetan gilt bronze figure of Mahasiddha, which brought $ 93,750 (estimate $60-80,000) was the highlight.
A Rare Manchu Empress's Twelve Symbol Embroidered Yellow Gauze Robe, Jifu, Qing Dynasty; courtesy of iGavel
The most successful lot at iGavel from the sale of Property of an American Collector Part II, of a series, was the rare Manchu Empress's twelve symbol embroidered yellow gauze robe, jifu, Qing Dynasty. It had been purchased at Christie’s New York September 22, 1995 for $17,500 and received much attention as expected, selling for $100,000 (estimate $10-15,000). Twelve symbols were reserved for the emperor, but the lack of a front and back vent and the inclusion of sleeve extensions identify this as a woman's robe.
Oil on canvas, Signed in Devanagari upper right and signed, dated, titled and inscribed "Bulls" / Husain / 1961 / T.41' on reverse, 39 x 39 in. (99.1 x 99.1 cm.); courtesy of Sotheby’s
At Sotheby’s, Bulls, painted in 1961, one of the most recognized works by India’s best-known modern artist, Maqbool Fida Husain (1913-2011), took the lead in the modern and contemporary South Asian works of art category, when it realized $2.782,500 million (estimate $1-1.5 million), a record price for Husain. Not only had the painting been on the cover of a 1971 monograph on the artist, published by Harry N. Abrams and in the private collection of Harry N. Abrams, but it also had an extensive exhibition history.
April 6, 2023
Installation shot, None Whatsoever, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Zenga: Filling in the Lines of Japanese Zen Painting
April 20, 2023 at 5pm EST (New York)
Mention the word 'Zen' nowadays and people will (think they) know what you mean – the concept of Zen has become familiar enough in the US that the term has entered our vernacular. This spring, several museum exhibitions across the country take a closer look at Zenga, or Japanese Zen painting, and tell a more complete story of Zen's background and meaning: of Zen Buddhism's precepts, its key figures, and their fascinating artworks. Panelists involved in those exhibitions will further discuss how Zen was introduced to the US and the pivotal role of art in why it gained such traction in the popular imagination. Additionally, we will hear from collectors whose love of Japanese Zen painting and calligraphy made such exhibitions possible and how their crucial support impacts museums for the future.
PANELISTS:
Bradley Bailey, Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Curator of Asian Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Paul Berry, independent scholar based in Kyoto
Alice and Kurt Gitter, Japanese art collectors and museum patrons
Patricia J. Graham, independent scholar and certified appraiser of Japanese art
Yukio Lippit, Jeffrey T. Chambers and Andrea Okamura Professor of History of Art and Architecture, Harvard University, MA
Morgan Pitelka, Bernard L. Herman Distinguished Professor and Chair of Dept. of Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, NC
moderated by Joan Mirviss
To register for this free event, please click here.
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