What's Happening in Asian Art...
April 27, 2021
Summer Mountains, Attributed to Qu Ding (Chinese, active ca. 1023–ca. 1056), Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), ca. 1050. Handscroll; ink and color on silk, Ex coll.: C. C. Wang Family, Gift of The Dillon Fund, 1973, Accession Number: 1973.120.1
Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Up Close
Close looking is at the heart of Chinese painting and calligraphy. In premodern China, painters and calligraphers learned by copying, a practice that required heightened observation of details. In the process, they also learned how to look—how to detect fine distinctions of ink tone, saturation, and line. Only after years of this type of intense looking could a person be considered a true expert.
This exhibition will encourage such looking by displaying original artworks alongside photographic enlargements of their details. The magnified details draw attention to subtleties of brushwork, texture, and line that may escape a viewer at first glance. Ultimately, the enlargements draw us back to the original, revealing the rewards that close looking can offer.
April 26, 2021
Father-Daughter, from the series Re-take of Amrita, Vivan Sundaram, India, 2001, archival digital pigment print, Gift of Drs. Umesh and Sunanda Gaur, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, S2019.6.19
Wednesday, April 28, 2021, 12 – 1 pm
Join Dr. Paul Sternberger for a conversation with Delhi-based artist Vivan Sundaram focused on the development of his multifaceted practice. The subject of the 2019 book Vivan Sundaram Is Not a Photographer: The Photographic Works of Vivan Sundaram by Ruth Rosengarten, Sundaram crosses boundaries of genre and medium to produce powerful installations that are both shaped by and transcend photographic modes. This program is offered as part of The Studio, the Freer and Sackler’s virtual contemporary art space.
Vivan Sundaram (b. 1943, Shimla, India) received his BFA from The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in 1965 and his post-diploma from the Slade School of Fine Art, London, in 1968. His work, which is exhibited across the globe, incorporates diverse media including painting, photography, video, sculpture, archival materials, found objects, and performance. Sundaram is represented by the gallery sepiaEYE in New York City.
Paul Sternberger received his PhD in art history from Columbia University and joined the faculty of Rutgers-Newark in 1997. His publications include Between Amateur & Aesthete: The Legitimization of Photography as Art in America, 1880–1900 (2001) and By Its Cover: Modern American Book Cover Design (2005). Sternberger co curated the groundbreaking exhibition India: Public Places, Private Spaces: Contemporary Photography and Video Art in 2007.
Register here: https://smithsonian.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_B1IPeLB9R_W3F7je5y1YXA
April 23, 2021
Asia Week New York sponsor, the luxury group, Songtsam Hotels Resorts & Tours, is launching a new wellness program at Songtsam Linka Retreat Lijiang, located in Yunnan Province in China, on April 24th. This personalized and customized journey will allow each guest to experience the wisdom of rest in several different ways, such as a visual feast, musical note vibration, food tasting and physical and mental meditation.
In the early morning, ancient Tibetan meditation is used to start the day. After breakfast, guests may choose either to set off from Ciman Ancient Village to explore the rural scenery of a farm or they can open up the scrolls, burn incense and copy the scriptures, so that all their restlessness is immersed in the concentration of a single brushstroke.
At noon, the chef's food, made with the unique flavors of the fruits and vegetables of Lijiang, is a feast for taste buds. Guests can sample the delicious ingredients at the local farmer's market and enjoy their rich taste.

In the afternoon guests can experience a session with a professional yoga teacher and improve their physical and mental energy or go to Dayan Ancient City to see the most traditional thangka paintings and absorb their spirituality. Afterward, they are invited to enjoy the soothing Chennai massage, which is derived from the Nepalese Ku Nye technique. More meditational experiences can be booked on-site in the store. Each guest will be accompanied and guided throughout their stay by a team with many years of meditation experience. They may also book the Songtsam body and mind rejuvenation program for one day. Using various techniques and signature spa treatments, such as Hydrotherapy, Himalayan Salt Body Scrub, Ku Nye Massage, the program offers a unique Tibetan experience of wellbeing.
For more information about Songtsam visit: www.songtsam.com/en/about
April 21, 2021
Very Rare and Fine Blanc de Chine Porcelain Tree with Figures
The Philadelphia Show previews on Thursday, April 22 with a Benefit Opening for the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It then continues for the Public from Friday, April 23 thru Friday, April 30.
One of the highlights featured by Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc. is pictured above. It is a meticulously modeled blanc de chine porcelain tree with a removable seated sage at one side and a child with a large bird and deer on the other, circa late 18th/early 19th century. Height: 22 inches (55.8 cm)
Ex: Private American Collection
Ex: Collection: J.T. Dorrance
To access the Viewing Rooms please click here.
April 16, 2021
A superb intricately cast 18th century Sino-Tibetan Parcel Gilt Bronze Figure of Avalokiteshvara (Estimate: $10,000-15,000)
New York: Lark Mason Associates is pleased to present its Spring sale of
Asian, Ancient, Ethnographic Works of Art which is now open for bidding on igavelauctions.com through April 29th.
“With 480 lots from multiple sellers nationwide, this two-session sale offers an impressive array of important and rare Asian works of art from ancient to the twentieth century and will appeal to a wide range of collectors and Asian art enthusiasts,” says Lark Mason, who notes a pair of Chinese Cloisonné Ewers, Qianlong Mark, Qing Dynasty / Republic Period (Estimate: $30,000-50,000).
According to Mason, the ewers were purchased in Tokyo after World War II by an American general who was stationed there through the 1950's. Their shape is rare and though most cloisonné forms were developed from Chinese archaic ritual bronzes, this form is rooted in Tibetan Buddhist ritual implements. “This example may have been used in a temple, but it also is somewhat secular in that it celebrates the advanced craftsmanship required to create this type of item,” he says.
Among the other highlights in Session I are a finely carved Rhino Horn Cup (Estimate: $50,000-70,000); a Chinese porcelain Famille Rose Wall Pocket, Republic Period (Estimate: $16,000-18,000); a pair of 18th/19th century Sino-Tibetan Gilt Silver and Jewel Mounted Butter Lamps (Estimate: $8,000-12,000); a large Chinese gilt Bronze Guanyin, from the Ming/Qing Dynasty; and a silver Korean inlaid Brazier (Estimate: $4,000-6,000).
The second session includes a large Chinese Landscape and Pine Rhinoceros Horn Libation Cup (Estimate: $30,000-50,000); a Qing White Jade Vase (Estimate: $20,000-30,000); a superb intricately cast 18th century Sino-Tibetan Parcel Gilt Bronze Figure of Avalokiteshvara (Estimate: $10,000-15,000)with much of the original pigments left on its face, eyes and hair; a Qing Dynasty Chinese 100 Boys Silk Panel (Estimate: $8,000-12,000); an intricately carved, pale stone Chinese Celadon Jade Censer, Qing Dynasty (Estimate: $7,000-10,000); a Chinese Carved Red Lacquer Circular Box, Qing Dynasty (Estimate: $6,000-9,000); and a 20th century Chinese Jadeite Standing Figure (Estimate: $3,000-5,000). Rounding out the sale are a large group of jades and snuff bottles.
About Lark Mason
With locations in New Braunfels, Texas and New York City, Lark Mason Associates, the eponymous, auction house specializing in Asian, ethnographic, and ancient works of art, was founded by Lark Mason after many years as an expert at Sotheby's New York.
Lark Mason Associates regularly hosts auctions on the iGavel Auctions platform and has an established history of record sales of Chinese and other works of art and holds the record for the highest price achieved for any work of art in an online sale, for a painting sold in May 2014 that realized close to $4.2m. Mason, the owner and CEO of iGavel Auctions, is noted for his regular appearances on "The Antiques Road Show." For more information, visit www.igavelauctions.com
April 14, 2021
Tuesday, April 20 at 6pm EST.
Crow Museum Facebook Live Event Link: https://m.facebook.com/events/786479528917098
BORN OF FIRE: Contemporary Japanese Women Ceramic Artists Conversation
Join us for a special conversation with Matsuda Yuriko, Katsumata Chieko, and Fukumoto Fuku, three celebrated ceramic artists whose works are featured in the exhibition Born of Fire: Contemporary Japanese Women Ceramic Artists, currently on view at the Crow Museum of Asian Art in Dallas, TX.
This exhibition draws from the collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, who have amassed an important encyclopedic collection of major Japanese modern and contemporary ceramics. Their collection of more than 1,000 works is the largest, public or private, of contemporary Japanese ceramics outside of Japan.
Moderator:
Dr. Jacqueline Chao, Senior Curator, Crow Museum of Asian Art
Panelists:
Matsuda Yuriko, Artist
Katsumata Chieko, Artist
Fukumoto Fuku, Artist
Jeffrey Horvitz, Collector
Carol Horvitz, Collector
Joan Mirviss, Joan B. Mirviss LTD
Website link to the exhibition: https://crowcollection.org/exhibition/born-fire-contemporary-japanese-women-ceramic-artists/
April 13, 2021
April 20 at 7pm EDT: What does a Chinese artist do in a time of chaos and oppression? Flee to the mountains, to the wilderness, of course, to cultivate upright Confucian values, write poetry, paint paintings, and, naturally, drink some tea and lots of wine. And in the paintings, he might hide some delicately rendered political commentary. But Arnold Chang, America’s modern master in Chinese painting whose paintings are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and many others, is more interested in the art than the politics.
In a very special personal and scholarly talk, Chang will share his insights into the meaning and artistry of Chinese painting, from ancient times to today, and then join a conversation with Chinese art expert Jane DeBevoise, Co-Chair of Asia Art Archive. RSVP here.
April 12, 2021
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), Meguro Chiyogaike; Chiyoga Pond in Meguro, 100 Famous Views of Edo; Edo meisho hyakkei, 1856, 7th month, courtesy of Joan B Mirviss LTD
Asia Week New York 2021 was a new departure from previous years. It was the culmination of a very unusual year filled with many changes and adaptations to a new and complicated environment. While we wish we had been able to welcome in person the out-of-town visitors we have in the past, we were happy to present a virtual exhibition.
Now spring has sprung in New York! Blossoms are blooming: cherry trees, daffodils, magnolias and mimosa greet us in shades of pink and yellow. The trees are in bud. It is the season of renewal and hope, and time to start planning for next year. With the continued vaccine rollout, there is a greater sense of what might be possible as the next few months pass. Stay tuned for news of upcoming events and ever-expanding opportunities to enjoy Asian art!
April 5, 2021
Power, Protection, and Magic: The Art of Shamanism
On View from March 12 to May 31, 2021
Charles B. Wang Center Skylight Gallery
Shamanism is an ancient and ubiquitous phenomenon in both the East and the West, and it has often co-existed with other forms of magic, superstition, and religion. Curated by Jinyoung A. Jin, this exhibition presents a selection of rare iconographic paintings to explore shamanism as a religion, a culture, and a belief system in Korea. The vibrantly colored, elaborately depicted deities are made for use by shamans, who serve as intermediaries between the physical and spiritual worlds, and between the community and various deities, in order to make the universe right.
https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/wang/exhibitions/