What's Happening in Asian Art...
June 25, 2021
Torii Ippo, 2011, Spring Surf, madake bamboo, rattan 29.25 x 28 x 17 in, Courtesy of TAI Modern
Torii Ippo (1930-2011) was the oldest son of Torii Hounsai, a well-regarded bamboo artist who won many prizes from the early 1900s to the late 1930s for his flower baskets and offering trays. As a young boy, Torii liked to spend time in his father’s studio making toys out of bamboo scraps. Though Hounsai had several students who assisted him, he chose not to train his own son. We do not know why. However, in 1950, when Hounsai became ill, he called his 20-year-old son and asked him to become a bamboo artist and take over the family studio. Hounsai died shortly thereafter. Torii was not sure if he had the aptitude or artistic talent to take on this task but decided to give it a try.
Torii taught himself how to select quality bamboo, how to prepare the material, and how to construct and weave a basket by closely copying his father’s baskets, thus honing his skills through trial and error.
For the first 30 years of his career, Torii Ippo made baskets for use in matcha tea ceremonies. But, at the age of 50, Torii felt the time had come to create and share an entirely new style of art. In 1980, he created his first sculpture, Tabane, a large-scale, architectural bamboo piece that was a dramatic departure from the traditional baskets he had been making. Over the next 30 years, Torii established himself as one of the most original and successful bamboo sculptors of his time. In 2006, he became the third bamboo artist to be awarded the top prize at Nitten (Japan Fine Arts Exhibition).
Spring Surf was the last major piece Torii created before his death in 2011. Inspired by the crashing waves of Mikawa Bay and the Pacific Ocean, this bold and dynamic sculpture employs the artist’s signature band construction.
Torii’s work is in collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens; De Young Museum; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco; Nishio City Museum; and Mint Museum.
To view TAI Modern's current show of his work, click here.
June 24, 2021
Removal of lining papers from the back of a Japanese painting using transmitted light (F1904.202).
East Asian Painting Conservation: Perspectives on Education, Research, and Practice
Tuesday, June 29, 2021, 8 – 10 am
Register here
Please visit the Symposium webpage to see a complete list of talks, summaries and speaker biographies in English and either Chinese, Korean or Japanese.
East Asian painting conservation and mounting have a long history of traditional practices rooted in the cultures of China, Korea, and Japan. Since the late twentieth century, however, internationalization and the influences of modern technology and scientific research have rapidly advanced the field. This symposium will explore the three themes—“Education and Training,” “Conservation and Research,” and “Materials and Methods”—that are central to these current developments. Six speakers will share perspectives as conservators, scientists, curators, and educators to broaden our understanding of East Asian painting conservation and related disciplines. By presenting diverse viewpoints, we hope to enrich the ongoing discussion of shifting educational models, the integration of traditional practice and modern innovation, the impact of cross-cultural influences, and the growing importance of interdisciplinary cooperation.
This symposium is organized by the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
June 24, 2021
Artist Talk: Mina Cheon
Wednesday, June 30th, 2021 | 6:30 PM (EDT)
The global art activist Mina Cheon draws inspiration from the partition of the Korean peninsula, in which she enlists a range of mediums including painting, sculpture, video, installation, and performance to deconstruct and reconcile the precarious history and ongoing coexistence between North and South Korea. Her solo exhibition at The Korea Society showcases her most recent painting series of Unification Flags.
Mina Cheon will discuss her art and career; with a special introduction by Ethan Cohen, director of Ethan Cohen Gallery, New York.
This Artist Talk will be held at The Korea Society. The number of attendees will be limited, and all attendees are encouraged to have been fully vaccinated by the date of the event. Face covering is required to enter the building. Live webcast of the event will also be available.
Click here to RSVP
June 21, 2021
New Acquisitions for Summer 2021
Enoshima Island, above, is connected to the shore by a long causeway. Here, a group of women and children gather shells and enjoy the beach with a view of the island and Fuji-san in the distance. This place has prevailing ocean breezes and now has a yacht harbor nestled on the left side of the island. Enoshima was the ideal sailing venue for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and and is the site for the 2020-21 Tokyo Olympics Sailing events which start in just a few days.
Please visit the new website and view over 100 new acquisitions here: www.theartofjapan.com
June 19, 2021
Miwa Kazuhiko 三輪和彦 Japanese, b. 1951, "Abyss" Guinomi 淵淵盃, stoneware, H1.5" x Dia3.7"; H3.8 x Dia9.3cm, with signed wood box
This June, we reflect on Kigo (季語) or "Season words", which refers to words used to express the seasons and, in turn, feeling, in classical Japanese poetry. As June arrives in full swing, we may observe the term "minazuki" (水無月; the month of water), conceptualizing June. In 1941, the poet, author, and critic Masaoka Shiki 正岡 子規 (1897-1902), wrote about minazuki:
水無月の虚空に涼し時鳥
In the coolness
of the empty sixth-month sky...
the cuckoo's cry.
Complementary to Masaoka Shiki's poetry, Dai Ichi Arts features exceptional functional Sake Wares by Miwa Kazuhiko, Koie Ryoji, Kakurenzaki Ryuichi, Takeuchi Shingo, and more, echoing the refreshing tone of this summer season.
More information here...
June 17, 2021
Wei Jia, No.19238, 2019, Gouache, ink and Xuan paper collage on paper. 27 1/2 x 40 1/4 in., 纸上水粉、墨与宣纸拼贴, 70 x 102.2 cm
Wei Jia: Good Times
Exhibition Dates:
June 19 - August 22, 2021 at Fou Gallery
June 24 - August 13, 2021 at Chambers Fine Art
Address:
Fou Gallery
410 Jefferson Ave #1
Brooklyn, NY 11221
Open House, June 26 & 27, 3-6pm
Chambers Fine Art
55 E 11th St, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10003
Open House, June 24, 3-6pm
Chambers Fine Art is pleased to announce that we will be presenting Wei Jia's latest solo exhibition Good Times with Fou Gallery. This is Wei Jia’s 17th solo exhibition in the United States. This exhibition will present representative works by Wei Jia from 2018 to 2021.
The works in this exhibition are different from his previous series: they are all collages on paper, and almost none of them are drawn with a brush. Many of the works in this exhibition were created during Wei Jia's quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This isolated lifestyle gave him more time to carefully reflect upon and explore his own memories and experiences by organizing the collage fragments of his previous works.
Wei Jia practiced traditional calligraphy, Chinese painting and poetry from an early stage. Wei graduated with a B.F.A from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing (1984) and M.F.A. from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (1987). He currently works and lives in New York and Beijing. Wei has had numerous solo and group exhibitions internationally, including Central Academy of Fines Arts (Beijing), National Museum of Art (Beijing), CU Art Museum University of Colorado at Boulder (Boulder, U.S.A.), Lincoln Center (New York), etc. His recent shows include The 8th International Ink Art Biennale of Shenzhen, Hua Art Museum, Shenzhen (2019); Blurred Boundaries, New York School of Interior Design Gallery, New York (2018); Wei Jia: Recent Work, Schmidt/Dean Gallery, Philadelphia (2017).
For more information, click here
June 17, 2021
Suzuki Gorô (b. 1941), Large double-eared, irregularly rounded, and covered shino-glazed mizusashi (waterjar) with Momoyama-style floral patterning, Glazed stoneware, 2010, 5 3/4 x 8 1/4 in.
Tea as Context: Treasuring Ceramics
Thursday, June 24 at 5pm EDT
Internationally recognized as a pillar of Japanese culture, the art of tea (chanoyu), with its highly formalized aspects, is often misperceived as a stiff and impassive ritual. Rather, throughout its history, chanoyu has developed from the treasured relationships and bonds formed over “shared hot water.” These connections are integral to a longstanding, vibrant tea culture and further the rich stories behind the diverse practices and exquisite tea objects seen today. This unmissable Zoom event assembles an all-star panel of experts on the subject. A discussion of the relative merits of a teabowl for the curious collector will be a highlight of the event.
PANELISTS:
NICOLLE BERTOZZI, PhD candidate in Japanese history at Columbia University
LOUISE CORT, Curator Emerita of Ceramics, Freer | Sackler, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC
ANDREW MASKE, Associate Professor in Art History and Visual Studies, Arts of Asia and Japan Studies, University of Kentucky
MORGAN PITELKA, Professor and Chair, Department of Asian Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
ANDREW WATSKY, Professor and Director, Program in East Asian Art and Archaeology, Princeton University
Click here to register for the event
A confirmation email with the invitation link will be automatically sent to you once you register.
June 16, 2021
Pori situtu’, Ceremonial Cloth 16027, Toraja People, North Luwu Regency, Rongkong, Sulawesi, Cotton; warp ikat, 19th or early 20th century, 96 x 58 in / 244 x 147 cm, courtesy of Thomas Murray
HALI Fair Online is a new virtual event, running 23-27 June 2021, focused exclusively on antique rugs and textiles from around the globe, comprising a Fair, Exhibitions and Events including lectures, interviews and presentations.
Exhibitors will be available online during the five-day event, to discuss the works on show with visitors to their virtual stands
‘Nou-Rouz' Shawl, French, Paris, designed by Amedee Couder in 1839 and woven by Caussen, Woven wool and silk 'tissage au lance, decoupe', courtesy Francesca Galloway
June 16, 2021
A reversible enamelled necklace (front), Jaipur, India, Late 18th century/early 19th century, 23 cm wide
Asian Wonderland
Asia & its Wonderful World of Jewellery
Sue Ollemans at Galerie Lamy presents a rare collection of ancient Asian jewellery
(June 17-27) 11am-6pm, by appointment
23 rue Ernest Allard
1000 Brussels
For more information, email Sue Ollemans at sue@ollemans.com
A reversible enamelled necklace (back), Jaipur, India, Late 18th century/early 19th century, 23 cm wide
June 11, 2021
Property from the Collection of Drs. Edmund and Julia Lewis, Shibata Zeshin (1807-1891), A tobacco tray with a bird-shaped kite, Meiji era (1868-1912), circa 1870-1890, (estimate: $7,000-9,000)
Edo Sparkle and Tokyo Splendor: Japanese Art of the Last Three Centuries at Bonhams on June 18
New York - On June 18, Bonhams will present Edo Sparkle and Tokyo Splendor: Japanese Art of the Last Three Centuries, a live sale comprising 116 lots of fine lacquer, netsuke, and decorative arts. Leading the auction is a Meiji era lacquer tray with a bird-shaped kite by Shibata Zeshin from the Collection of Drs. Ed and Julie Lewis. The kite depicted in the tray is no ordinary toy but a special variety that was probably Zeshin’s own invention. It has an estimate of $7,000-9,000.
See more here...
Property From the Junkunc Collection, A Pale Greenish-White Jade Figure Of a Lion, 6 ½ in. (16.5 cm.) wide
Art of China Summer online sale at Christie's
Christie’s New York is delighted to present our Art of China Summer online sale (11-29 June). The sale showcases jade carvings, gilt bronzes, porcelain and scholar’s objects from the collection of Stephen Junkunc, III; Qing porcelains from an important private New York collection; and huanghuali furniture from the estate of a lady. Highlights also include Chinese paintings from the collection of the Lee Family of Chicago, Illinois, and paintings sold by the Yale University Art Gallery to benefit acquisition funds.
View the sale overview here...
Objects from the Sotheby's auction "The Hundred Antiques"
The Hundred Antiques: Fine and Decorative Asian Art online at Sotheby's, June 11-22
The Hundred Antiques: Fine & Decorative Asian Art comprises over 170 Chinese and Japanese works of art and paintings. The sale features Ming and Qing dynasty porcelains, early Chinese ceramics, jade, and scholar’s objects, among others. Highlights include Buddhist sculptures and textiles from the collection of Florence (1886-1939) and Paul H. Benedict (1888-1968), a selection of Qing dynasty glass from a Florida private collection, a group of early Chinese ceramics from the estate of Paul and Marianne Steiner, and numerous Chinese works of art from the collection of Loyd and Linda Crawley.
View the digital catalog here...
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