Yuen Fu Rapids, John Thomson, carbon print, From Foochow and the River Min, c.1870

Sun and Silver: Early Photographs of China by Lai Fong and John Thomson
March 13 – 21, 2025
Opening Reception: Tuesday, March 18 from 6-8pm
Exhibiting at: 10 West 18th Street, 7th Floor
Asia Week Hours: By appointment from March 13-14 & 18-21, 10am-5pm; March 15, 11am-5pm

Loewentheil Photography of China Collection is thrilled to present Sun and Silver: Early Photographs of China by Lai Fong and John Thomson during this season’s Asia Week New York. This exhibition brings together masterpieces by two giants of 19th-century photography of China.  Lai Fong and John Thomson originated many of the most significant developments in the early art of photography in China. This show reveals the intricate and fascinating relationship between the works of the most famous early Chinese photographer and those of his leading foreign contemporary. The two photographers crossed paths, competed for patrons, and had a meaningful influence on one another and the art of photography.

This major exhibition gives viewers the opportunity to compare and contrast Lai Fong’s expressive artistry and technical ingenuity alongside Thomson’s stylistic virtuosity.

Sun and Silver: Early Photographs of China by Lai Fong and John Thomson spans the careers of both artists through the finest examples of vintage prints, all dating to the 1860s and 1870s. It also presents works by other 19th-century photography studios in China that share the themes and subjects of Lai Fong’s and Thomson’s photographs. The exhibition suggests new ways of looking at the origins of photography in China.

This exhibition of works by Lai Fong and John Thomson presents a tiny sliver of the holdings of the Loewentheil Collection, the most important collection of early China photographs in the world.

They look forward to welcoming you soon!

Installation view, Along The Way: Transforming the Traditional

Along The Way: Transforming the Traditional
Closing Saturday, March 8, 2025
65 East 80th Street

This is the final week of Along The Way: Transforming the Traditional, the New York City debut of Atlanta-based multi-disciplinary artist Brandon Sadler at Fu Qiumeng Fine Art. Through a thoughtful blend of assemblage, calligraphy, and expressive ink painting, Sadler explores the rich traditions of East Asian art, reinterpreting them through the lens of his personal and cultural experiences. This exhibition highlights Sadler’s evolving journey of artistic discovery, bridging past and present to invite viewers into a dialogue on the interconnection of body, mind, and spirit across time and space.

Sadler’s practice is inspired by a diverse array of influences, including graffiti, illustration, and an ongoing study of East Asian art forms—particularly ink calligraphy and woodblock prints. His approach is a sincere inquiry, weaving a dynamic tapestry of cross-cultural exchange and human connection. Across three primary series—assemblage, calligraphy, and lotus painting—Sadler traces a path of exploration from the tangible to the intangible, emphasizing his central belief that nothing is disconnected.

For Sadler, art is inseparable from life—a form of Kung Fu where personal growth and creative practice are one. His studio serves as both a shrine for disciplined craft and a sanctuary for philosophical and spiritual practice. Through focused energy and awareness of the present, Sadler creates works that encourage a deep introspection of one’s spiritual journey and cultural inheritance. Along the Way: Transforming the Traditional fosters a vision of art as a living bridge connecting past and present, tradition and innovation, self and the world.

To learn more, click here.

Celestial horse. Han dynasty, 1st-2nd century CE. Bronze, 44 7/8 x 34 1/2 x 14 1/2 in. (113.98 x 87.63 x 36.83 cm); Courtesy China Institute of America

Eternal Offerings: Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Minneapolis Institute of Art
March 6 – July 13, 2025
Curator’s Lecture: Thursday, March 6 from 6:30-8pm (RSVP)
Asia Week Open House: Friday, March 14 from 10am-8pm (Free)

The China Institute Gallery is pleased to present Eternal Offerings: Chinese Ritual Bronzes from the Minneapolis Institute of Art showcasing one of the world’s greatest collections of ancient Chinese bronzes outside of China from a crucial period in the history of human civilization. Traveling from the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the extraordinary Bronze Age vessels for food and wine as well as imaginative animal sculptures, are on view for the first time in New York City.

Bronze casting in China, which began over 4,000 years ago, stands as one of the greatest achievements in early metalcraft. During the Shang (1600–1046 BCE) and Zhou (1046–256 BCE) dynasties, the period known as the Bronze Age, ritual bronze vessels played a central role in ancestor worship, a cornerstone of Chinese spiritual and social life. Each vessel type served a specific purpose in ritual ceremonies and was adorned with intricate designs that symbolized power, spirituality, and cosmic harmony. Many were inscribed to honor ancestors, rulers, or to commemorate significant events, blending artistic mastery with historical record. These vessels, crafted using advanced casting techniques, were not only functional but also remarkable testaments to technological and cultural sophistication.

With more than 70 objects ranging from a wine vessel in the form of a double-owl from the Late Shang dynasty, 12th century BCE, to a celestial horse sculpture from the Han dynasty, 1st to 2nd century CE, this exhibition explores the diverse forms, functions, and symbolic meanings of ancient Chinese bronzes, providing a window into the spiritual and artistic essence of early Chinese civilization.

Join their Curator’s Lecture on opening day where Dr. Liu Yang, Chair of Asian Art and Curator of Chinese Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, will trace the formation of Alfred Pillsbury’s collection of ancient bronzes at Mia—widely regarded as one of the finest assemblages of ancient Chinese bronzes in the United States—and offer updated perspectives on many masterpieces from this remarkable assemblage. To RSVP and learn more, click here.

Also be sure to attend the Asia Week York Open House on March 14 as they join our celebration of Asian art and culture amidst the vibrant cultural tapestry of New York City. Join for an immersive experience that connects the past with the present, and witness firsthand the enduring beauty and historical significance of ancient masterpieces. Enjoy light refreshments as you explore the exhibition!

To learn more, click here.

First Row (L-R): Tokonoma Sculpture of Hotei, God of Happiness and Good Fortune, 1793, wood with gesso and pigment, inlaid glass eyes, 25 x 16 x 16.5 in., with extensive inscription on bottom, bearing the signature of the carver Seiyodo Tomiharu, courtesy Carole Davenport; Takashi Seto, A-UN (A) (detail), 2024, Yuzen-dyed silk fabric, gofun, gold leaf, silver leaf, urushi lacquer, cotton fabric mounted on wood panel, 55.1 x 39.4 in., courtesy Seizan Gallery; Wada Morihiro, Overlapping Comma Pattern Vessel, ca. 2004, glazed and slip-glazed stoneware, 14 1/2 x 8 1/4 x 8 1/4 in., photography by Richard Goodbody, courtesy Joan B Mirviss LTD; Second Row (L-R): Shota Suzuki, Gingko Leaf, 2023, brass, gold powder, 21 5/8 x 9 x 10 1/4 in., courtesy Ippodo Gallery; A Group of Ceramic Works by Kawai Kanijro (1890-1966), courtesy Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd.; Kongo Rikishi Statue (Agyo), h:85 cm, courtesy Hiroshi Yanagi Oriental Art; Third Row (L-R): Onihira Keiji, Box with Design in Maki-e, “Memories Come Back,” 2013, white-lipped pearl oyster, South Sea abalone shell, gold, and pearl oyster, 5 1/2 × 11 1/2 × 6 1/2 in., courtesy Onishi Gallery; Yamaguchi Takeo
(Japanese, 1902-1983), Tai, 1974, oil on board, framed, 23 x 37 / 26 x 40 cm (overall), courtesy Shinbunkaku; Nagakura Kenichi, Whirling Dance, 2017, madake bamboo, washi paper, mixed media, 24 x 12 x 8 in., courtesy TAI Modern; Last Row: Inoue Hakuyō (1893-1969), Late Summer, c. 1920, Pair of two-panel folding screens; mineral pigments shell powder and ink on hemp, each screen: 66¾ x 74¼ in., courtesy Thomsen Gallery

Asia Week New York is almost here! Our third preview celebrates Japanese paintings and objects from ten esteemed AWNY dealers. Discover these stunning works arriving next month!

Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd.
Mingei Modern
March 13 – 21, 2025
18 East 64th Street, Suite 1F

Explore the legacy of the Mingei Movement in 20th-century Japan with Mingei Modern, a curated selection of exceptional ceramics, textiles, and paintings by pioneers like Kawai Kanjiro, Hamada Shoji, Bernard Leach, Shimaoka Tatsuzo, Murata Gen, Munakata Shiko, Serizawa Keisuke, and others.

Carole Davenport
What’s in a Title: Japanese Works of Art from Ancient to Modern
March 13 – 21, 2025
John Molloy Gallery, 49 East 78th Street, Suite 2B

The gallery is delighted to return to Asia Week New York with a fine selection of Japanese and Asian works of art, including a superb 18th century Tokonoma Sculpture of Hotei, God of Happiness and Good Fortune.

Ippodo Gallery
Light and Abundance: Gold in Japanese Art
March 13 – 21, 2025
35 N. Moore Street

The immutable beauty of gold takes center stage in this inaugural exhibition of their new flagship Tribeca location, showcasing fourteen master artists’ newest pieces in lacquer, metal, Nihonga painting, and ceramics.

Joan B Mirviss LTD
Beyond the Surface: The Unity of Form and Pattern in the Work of Wada Morihiro
March 13 – 21, 2025
39 East 78th Street, Suite 401

A fifteen-year endeavor culminates in this remarkable exhibition—the first comprehensive retrospective for the seminal clay master—presenting seventy works, most acquired directly from the estate of the artist, representing nearly all of his diverse patterns on his ever-changing forms.

Onishi Gallery
KOGEI and Art
March 13 – April 11, 2025
16 East 79th Street

KOGEI represents works crafted with time-honored materials and techniques, embodying an unwavering commitment to technical mastery and the pursuit of new artistic expression. This exhibition highlights contemporary pieces that honor Japan’s rich tradition of craftsmanship while embracing innovation across diverse mediums, including metalwork, lacquerware, ceramics, screens, and painting.

Seizan Gallery
Takashi Seto: Moments of Arrival
March 6 – May 3, 2025
525 West 26th Street

Seizan Gallery returns to Asia Week New York with Takashi Seto: Moments of Arrival, the artist’s first solo exhibition in New York. Fifteen canvases highlight Seto’s innovative use of Yuzen dyeing and Shippaku metal leaf, transforming traditional techniques into contemporary explorations of time and culture.

Shibunkaku
Masterpieces of Japanese Art: A Timeless Dialogue
March 13 – 21, 2025
Joan B Mirviss LTD, 39 East 78th Street, Suite 401

“Tai,” by Japanese artist Yamaguchi Takeo–one of the works of art in this exhibition–reflects his deep connection to his Asian roots, symbolized by his use of yellow ochre and Venetian red.

TAI Modern
From Timber to Tiger: The Many Bamboos of Japanese Bamboo Art
March 13 – 21, 2025
Colnaghi, 23 East 67th Street, Fourth Floor

This exhibition showcases artistic innovation with unusual materials, from rare bamboo to lotus root to Bakelite. Highlights include pieces by master Yamamoto Chikuryusai II, a member of a leading Osaka bamboo lineage, and modern master Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, who uses new techniques and materials for his intricate creations.

Thomsen Gallery
Japanese Modern Masterpieces 1910-1950
March 13 – 21, 2025
9 East 63rd Street

Thomsen Gallery’s exhibition features a visually arresting pair of screens that masterfully blends two prominent subjects of early 20th-century Nihonga painting: depictions of both native and imported flora, and portraits of elegant women.

Hiroshi Yanagi Oriental Art
New Acquisitions
March 13 – 18, 2025
Nicholas Hall, 17 East 76th Street, 4F

Among the New Acquisitions at Hiroshi Yanagi Oriental Art, a striking Kongo Rikisi (Vajrayaksa) stands out. This expressive Buddhist protector deity, showcasing the realism characteristic of the Kamakura period, reflects the emergence of the samurai and the transition from the nobility to landowning military men.

Suzuki Harunobu (1724−1770), Cool Mountain Gust of the Fan (Ōgi no seiran), color woodblock print: chūban tate-e, 10⅞ x 8 in. (27.6 x 20.3 cm), 1766, Series: Eight Views of the Parlor Room (Zashiki hakkei), unsigned, publisher: Shōkakudō

Japanese Prints and Paintings, 1720−1820
March 14 – 21, 2025
Asia Week Hours: Mar 14-15 & 17-21, 11am-5pm (otherwise by appointment)
17 East 76th Street, 3rd Floor

Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art is pleased to present Japanese Prints and Paintings, 1720−1820 during this season’s Asia Week New York. The paintings and prints in this exhibition begin in the 1720s and end approximately a century later. Many of the technical developments and changes that took place during that time are covered. The most important of these, the introduction of full color printing, is represented by a fine group prints by Suzuki Harunobu, as well as examples by his contemporaries. Harunobu was a late bloomer, and the prints included here survey the last years of his life, beginning with the first print in his ground-breaking series Zashiki hakkei (Eight views of the parlor room).

The end of the 1760s saw idealized portraits of actors replaced by ones more grounded in realistic portrayal, which are represented here by fine works by Ippitsusai Bunchō and Katsukawa Shunshō.

Interest in imported European ideas and images manifested itself in the introduction of uki-e, or “floating pictures,” which allowed landscape artists to move from traditional isometric perspective to indicate depth and volume, to single-point perspective and low picture planes. Examples by Utagawa Toyoharu and other landscapes in the exhibition indicate just how pervasive this interest was.

The golden era of the 1790s includes a very fine example of Tōshūsai Sharaku’s portrait of Segawa Kikunojō III as Ōshizu, performed in the fifth month of 1794. One of the artist’s finest portraits, this specimen has exceptionally well-preserved color, allowing the viewer insights into Sharaku’s skills as a colorist.

The exhibition concludes with a fine painting by Kubo Shunman, who was a contemporary of both Utamaro and Toyokuni. Shunman was deeply involved with the literary world of his period, and his late painting of a Yoshiwara courtesan celebrating the Hassaku festival held during the summer is accompanied by a text by the noted literatus Kameda Bōsai, detailing the history of the event.

Be sure to visit the gallery to take in all these magnificent works of art for yourself!

To learn more, click here.

Jihei Murase, Gold Melon-Shaped Water Container 金彩阿古陀水指, lacquer, h:6 3/4 x w:10 1/4 x d:10 1/4 in

Light and Abundance: Gold in Japanese Art
March 13 – April 17, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 13, 5-8pm
35 N. Moore Street

Ippodo Gallery cordially invites you to join the inaugural opening of their new downtown flagship gallery in TriBeCa, which comes after 12 years on Manhattan’s Upper East Side during this season’s Asia Week New York!

Light and Abundance: Gold in Japanese Art is a group exhibition highlighting the rich use of gold in traditional mediums. These unique works by distinguished artists in lacquer, metal, Nihonga painting, and ceramics are contemporary masterpieces showing the class and elegance of gold.

The pure material, never to tarnish nor rust, is the object of fascination and admiration for more than a thousand years in Japan. Gold represents divinity, the eternal, and symbolizes spiritual enlightenment since ancient times, serving to cover statues of Buddha, temples like Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto, and the feudal lord Hideyoshi Toyotomi’s famous Gold Tea Room. ‘Zipangu, the Land of Gold’ as Marco Polo named the archipelago more than five-hundred years ago, reminds how the country was once the foremost global producer of gold, which empowered the development of a distinct Japanese visual culture. While modern minimalist and wabisabi philosophies rise, flamboyance remains a quintessential element of Japanese aesthetics.

Be sure to discover twenty-four top emerging Japanese artists in contemporary kogei for whom gold persists as a medium of innovation and virtue next month!

To learn more, click here.

Kang Chunhui (b.1982), Sumeru NO. 34, 2023, ink and mineral pigment on paper

Kang Chunhui and Ethan Su: New Approaches to Gongbi Painting
March 13 – 21, 2025
By appointment only

INKstudio is thrilled to offer a salon presentation of Kang Chunhui and Ethan Su: New Approaches to Gongbi Painting during this season’s Asia Week New York. A standout highlight is Sumeru No. 34, a remarkable work from Kang Chunhui’s Sumeru series. This series delves into the interplay of color, shape, light, dimension, and boundary, all explored through the evocative form of the fold. Draping fabric folds—integral to Gandharan Greco-Buddhist sculpture—serve as a foundational element in early Chinese figure painting. Over time, this brush-line technique evolved, becoming the essence of East Asian brush painting.

Through intimate exhibit invites audiences to experience the innovative ways Kang Chunhui and Ethan Su push the boundaries of Gongbi painting while honoring its rich artistic heritage.

To learn more and schedule an appointment, kindly email [email protected]

Rare Chinese Imperial Enamel on Copper Lantern Pagoda, Qianlong four character mark and period, ca: mid-18th c., h:19 ½ in (49.5 cm)

Spring Exhibition of Chinese Porcelain and Works of Art
March 13 – 21, 2025
Asia Week hours: 10am-6pm, daily (otherwise by appointment)

This Asia Week holds a special significance for Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc. as they celebrate 115 years of family tradition. Founded in 1910 by Ralph M. Chait, the gallery proudly continues into its fourth generation.

In honor of this milestone, they are delighted to present an exhibition and accompanying catalogue showcasing an exceptional selection of fine Chinese porcelains and works of art. Highlights include Imperial pieces and the highest-quality decorative arts that once graced esteemed European collections before making their way into significant American collections.

Beyond these treasures, the exhibition will feature other remarkable works. Particularly meaningful is the return of numerous pieces that passed through the gallery decades ago. Their 115-year history is deeply woven into the present, and they look forward to the generations ahead.

They warmly welcome your inquiries and visits to the gallery during this Asia Week!

Howardena Pindell, Autobiography: India (Lakshmi), 1984, mixed media collage on paper. 18 x 20 1/2 x 2 in. (45.7 x 52.1 x 5.1 cm); Courtesy of the artist and Garth Greenan Gallery, New York

(Re)Generations: Rina Banerjee, Byron Kim, and Howardena Pindell amid the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection
March 4 – August 10, 2025
Patrons Preview Tour: Monday, March 3, 5:30-6pm
Members-Only Opening: Monday, March 3, 6-9pm

This exhibition reintroduces key works in Asia Society Museum’s Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of pre-modern Asian art through the lenses of three leading contemporary artists: Rina Banerjee, Byron Kim, and Howardena Pindell. Each artist has selected a number of works in the collection within which to situate their own new and existing works, approaching historic objects in the collection through their practices and from multiple cultures, heritages, and positions. Creating dialogues across multiple histories and places, these artists offer a range of new insights and entry points into the collection.

To learn more, click here.

Hiraki Sawa, trail (detail), 2005, single-channel video with animation and sound, duration: 14 minutes; Asia Society, New York: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harold and Ruth Newman, 2011.18

Hiraki Sawa: Journeys in Place
March 4 – August 10, 2025

Japanese-born and London-based Hiraki Sawa creates video works that explore psychological landscapes, unexpected worlds, and the playful interweaving of domestic and imaginary spaces. His works traverse specific, often personal, landscapes to consider memory, migration, and displacement. Asia Society invited Sawa to frame his video trail (2005), held in the museum’s collection, with a selection of works from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, echoing the approach of the exhibition (Re)Generations in the museum’s 2nd- and 3rd-floor galleries. His selection of a small-scale pair of lion-dogs (flanking the video monitor) and bixies (mythical creatures) relate to the miniaturized camel who is the main protagonist of trail. Asia Society’s beloved elephant-headed sandstone Ganesha completes the display, bringing joy, good luck, and wealth to the many who venerate the popular deity.

Sawa’s trail is looped with his works fantasmagoria (2017) and pilgrim (2022), while the artist-made monitor box on view loops dwelling (2002) and elsewhere (2003). All five videos present abstracted montages of spaces that are intimate to the artist.

To learn more, click here.

Marcos Kueh, Woven Poster—Homo Servantis Erotis, 2023, industrial weaving, recycled PET, 8 colors; Courtesy Galerie Ron Mandos, Amsterdam. Copyright © Marcos Kueh

Installations
March 4 – August 10, 2025

Also on view will be Marcos Kueh’s colorful, fluorescent tapestries that critically address the theme of eroticization and tourism, particularly on the island of Borneo, where Kueh was born and where identity and culture are commodified as touristic entertainment; Yoko Ono’s ongoing interactive art installation, Wish Tree, begun in 1996, where visitors are invited to write a wish on a paper tag and tie it to the tree; and Ai Wei Wei’s With Colored Vase, 2008, where he asks us to confront our values in relation to the past.

To learn more, click here.