Flask with the Royal Arms of Spain, China, Ming dynasty, 1610–20, porcelain with cobalt blue under clear glaze, Yale University Art Gallery, Robert Hatfield Ellsworth Fund

Blue, White, and Wonderful: Seventeenth-Century Chinese Porcelain
Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 12:30-1:30pm
Free; Meet by the central column in the Gallery lobby

Highlighting a recently acquired Chinese porcelain flask, Denise Patry Leidy, the Ruth and Bruce Dayton Curator of Asian Art at Yale University Art Gallery, discusses a fascinating moment in global ceramic history, when Chinese kilns began producing works specifically for the European market.

European trade with China flourished in the early 17th century, after the famed Portuguese explorer Vasco di Gama opened sea trade between Europe and Asia by sailing around the African coast. In response to political and economic turmoil and the subsequent need for new markets, the kilns at the great complex in Jingdezhen began to diversify by producing ceramics for the court, for the domestic market, and for trade to Japan as well as to India and other parts of the greater Islamic world. Within the coat of arms on the front of the flask, the two rampant lions and two castles indicate that the object was made for the Spanish court. The reverse is painted with a scene of a Chinese scholar resting in a landscape, while the shape of the flask is derived from Islamic metalwork.

To learn more, click here.

Photo credit: Vincente de Paolo

Artist Talk: Sarah Sze
Thursday, April 17, 2025, 5:30-6:30pm
Free

Since the late 1990s, Sarah Sze has developed a signature visual language that challenges the static nature of sculpture and painting. Sze draws from Modernist traditions of the found object, dismantling their authority with dynamic constellations of materials that are charged with flux, transformation, and fragility. Captured in this suspension, her immersive and intricate works question the value society places on objects and images and how objects and images ascribe meaning to the places and times we inhabit.

Coinciding with the explosion of information of the 21st century, Sze’s work simultaneously models and navigates the ceaseless proliferation of information and imagery in contemporary life. Her encyclopedic installations and paintings unfold like a series of experiments that construct intimate systems of order—precarious ecologies in which material conveys meaning and a sense of loss. In this talk, Sze discusses her artistic practice.

To learn more, click here.

Installation view, Light and Abundance: Gold in Japanese Art

Light and Abundance: Gold in Japanese Art
Closing Thursday, April 17, 2025
35 N Moore Street

This is the final week of Ippodo Gallery’s captivating exhibition, Light and Abundance: Gold in Japanese Art, before it closes on April 17! Celebrating the immutable beauty of gold, this group show features new works by master artists working in lacquer, metal, Nihonga painting, and ceramics.

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. Under shadows the gold leaf adorned folding byobu screen thrives; “in the darkness, where sunlight never penetrates, gold leaf will pick up a distant glimmer, then suddenly send forth an ethereal glow, a faint golden light like the horizon at sunset” (Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows). ‘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.

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to experience top emerging Japanese artists in contemporary kogei, for whom gold remains a medium of innovation and virtue.

To learn more, click here.

Laurie Anderson, courtesy Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art

Do you feel like you’re running out of time? Which way is it going? Are you able to stop time? If so, how? Many objects in the Rubin’s collection of Himalayan art reflect the Buddhist concept of time, including the interconnected nature of the past and future. About Time aims to reframe our perspective on time and its impact on our lives.

In this four-part series, performance artist, electronic music pioneer, and filmmaker Laurie Anderson tackles the big questions about time with poet Jane Hirshfield, novelist Tom McCarthy, philosopher Venerable Tenzin Priyadarshi, and writer Benjamín Labatut.

These conversations took place in-person at the Rubin’s former 150 West 17th Street building in 2024.

To listen to them all, click here.

Yaozhou Moon White Plate with Carved Lotus, Jin Dynasty, 1127 – 1279 AD, China, Diameter: 19 cm, courtesy Zetterquist Galleries

We successfully wrapped up the 16th edition of Asia Week New York—the only U.S. event dedicated to Asian art—on March 21. Over the course of nine days, twenty-seven galleries and six auction houses–Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle, Freeman’s|Hindman, Heritage, and Sotheby’s–collectively tallied an impressive $125,140,282, an increase of 25% over 2024!

Brendan Lynch, our chairman of Asia Week New York, noted an uptick in visitor numbers compared to 2024, with many purchases made by U.S. museums. “There was a resumed presence of private and institutional buyers from East Asia, and continued buoyancy in prices for Indian Contemporary and Modern Art,” he said. Looking ahead, Lynch expressed enthusiasm for resuming year-round coverage of Asian cultural events and planning for the 2026 edition.

The week launched with gallery open houses and the annual reception at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which welcomed 600 collectors, dealers, curators, auction house experts, museum patrons, and Asian art enthusiasts. Together, we celebrated a spectacular selection of artworks spanning over six millennia.

Below is a snapshot of the many successful sales, according to specialty:

Ancient and/or Contemporary Japanese and Korean Art

Driven by their latest acquisitions, The Art of Japan reported the successful sale of approximately 25 Japanese woodblock prints, including Mayu-Hiki (Woman Painting Her Eyebrows), by the prolific Kitagawa Utamaro (1753–1806).

Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. principal Beatrice Chang reported the sale of over two dozen ceramic vessels. Artists whose works found new homes included Hamada Shoji, Shin Sang-ho, and Tomimoto Kenkichi, affirming the robust market for high-quality ceramic art.

Veronica Miller, principal of Egenolf Gallery Japanese Prints, said that she had a steady flow of collectors and curators, who were enticed by her single artist exhibition Love of Place: The Landscapes of Kawase Hasui (1883-1957). His scarce pre-earthquake Seaside Cottage, Himi, Etchu and Night Rain, Teradomari were quickly snapped up because of their scarcity.

Ippodo Gallery,  participating for the first time from its new TriBeCa location, saw a strong turnout and significant sales. More than two dozen works—many in the mid-five-figure range—were acquired by collectors. Highlights included Luminous Raden Fubuki Caddy by Terumasa Ikeda (2023); Gold and Silver Vessel by Hirotomi Maeda (2022); Solemn and Auspicious New Year Pine by Daisuke Nakano (2024); Doll, Prayer of a Thousand Years by Junko Narita (2023); Blowing Leaves Ginkgo by Shota Suzuki (2024); Mochizuki Full Moon by Hiraku Sudo (2025); and two works by Jihei Murase—Gold Melon-Shaped Water Jar (2024) and Silver Hatchet-Shaved Flower Vase (2024).

Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art welcomed a steady stream of curators and collectors, resulting in notable transactions.

By March 20, Joan Mirviss, of her namesake gallery Joan B Mirviss LTD, had sold 95% of the value of the works in her important retrospective exhibition, Beyond Surface: The Unity of Form and Pattern in the Work of Wada Morihiro. Mirviss reported that many pieces sold in the mid-five-figure range, and two of them are heading to important museums with excellent collections of Asian art. “We had an outstanding week—many of our best works sold to established collectors, and two major pieces are going to museums with renowned Asian art collections,” said Mirviss.

“The traffic during Asia Week was terrific,” said Nana Onishi, who recently moved her eponymous Onishi Gallery from Chelsea to the Upper East Side. “Some collectors visited multiple times before deciding on a purchase, and many out-of-state collectors and curators stopped by, often combining their visit with a trip to the Met, which is just around the corner. Most of our sales–including Flower Vase Spiral Shell by Hara Satoshi, a Kogei ceramic crafted in silver, gold, copper, and iron– were to private collectors, with a few going to interior designers purchasing on behalf of their clients.”

“We were delighted to see that so many collectors came to New York early in the week, with some of our best works selling as soon as we released the online component of our exhibition, Landscape Escapes,” said Katherine Martin, managing director of Scholten Japanese Art . “Buyers were quick to snag any prints that featured wave-related subjects, such as Utagawa Hiroshige’s The Sea Off Satta in Suruga Province (1858).” She added that museum group visits over the weekend were followed by a strong turnout of curators later in the week, many focused on post-war Japanese prints—an area of growing institutional interest.

Seizan Gallery in Chelsea, which featured a solo exhibition of Takashi Seto, whose silver leaf, gold leaf, and artificial dye on silk mounted on wood panel caught the eye of a private collector, and works by Yasuko Hasumura and Taro Tabuchi, attracted buyers.

“We had a very successful Asia Week this year,” said Margo Thoma, director of Santa Fe-based TAI Modern. Notable sales included Genbu (Water God) by Yufu Shohaku and Frill: Espressivo by Nakatomi Hajime.

At Thomsen Gallery, Erik Thomsen reported sales included Lingering Snow by Konoshima Okoku, a hanging scroll on silk (circa 1910s), and Weasel in Bamboo Thicket by Yoshida Tokoku, a six-panel folding screen in ink, gold leaf, and gold wash on paper (circa 1930s).

Korean specialist Heakyum Kim of HK Art & Antiques LLC, sold numerous works from the dual-artist exhibition Elegance and Simplicity: Bohnchang Koo and Geejo Lee, including Koo’s EWB 01, an archival pigment print.

Ancient and/or Contemporary Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Art

London-based Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch, Ltd. reported that 20 Indian and Persian miniature paintings were sold or reserved, including a Sawar yellow ground elephant; a Guler Equestrian portrait of a princess; A scene from a Rasikapriya series: The Lover’s Desire, A folio from the Ramayana attributed to Purkhu of Kangra, depicting the Marriage of Siva; and Sita Ram’s Study of a grasshopper.

Francesca Galloway, also here from London, reported excellent sales including Zebra – Imperial Mughal, attributed to Murar; A Mughal Beauty, possibly from an Album Made for Nawab Shuja’ al-Dawlal, by a master court artist, mid-18th century; Kunwar Rajmalji and Kunwar Chandmalji Riding to a Mela – Rajasthan, Kota, Krishna Stealing the Butter – Folio from a Bhagavata Purana; Krishna slays Keshi, the Horse-Demon – Folio from a Harivamsha Series; A Rainbow Lorikeet Perched on a Flowering Branch – Folio from the Impey Album – Company School, Patna, signed by Zayn al-Din, 1778.

Carlton Rochell of his namesake gallery Carlton Rochell Asian Art sold works of art from his exhibition of Classical art from India and the Himalayas to a mix of private collectors and museums.

Ancient and/or Contemporary Chinese Art

Steven Chait, of the 115-year-old family-owned Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc., reported the gallery’s most active Asia Week since the pandemic, with steady attendance and high levels of interest in Chinese art.

“It was an especially vibrant week for INKstudio ,” said Mee Seen Loong, who with Craig Yee are the principals of the Beijing-based gallery. “We sold all four red flower paintings in the Sumeru Series by Kang Chunhui and have a few more works by artists under consideration.”

Eric Zetterquist, of Zetterquist Galleries, reported robust activity and multiple sales, including a Goryeo Dynasty Korean tile acquired by an American museum, and a rare Jin Dynasty Yaozhou “Moon White” plate sold to a private collector.

Museum Curators and Directors Flock to Asia Week York

Asia Week New York is a must-attend event for museum directors and curators, who make the rounds to see what the galleries have on offer. Among the museums which represented were the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, Art Institute of Chicago, Asia Society, Baltimore Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cooper Hewitt | Smithsonian Design Museum, Dallas Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, Harvard Art Museums, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art (Cornell University), Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (University of Oregon), Kimbell Art Museum, Loeb Art Center (Vassar College), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, National Museum of Asian Art (Smithsonian Institution), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, New Orleans Museum of Art, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Princeton University Art Museum, Ringling Museum of Art, St. Louis Art Museum, Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art, San Antonio Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, University of Michigan Museum of Art, Walters Art Museum, Williams College Museum of Art, Worcester Art Museum, and Yale University Art Gallery.

The strong presence of museum curators and patrons reaffirmed Asia Week New York’s status as a vital destination for museum professionals, collectors, and connoisseurs seeking the finest in Asian art.

Kato Kiyoyuki 加藤清之, (from L-R): No. 1 Flower vessel with white glaze on black clay 花入, stoneware, h:4 1/8 × w:1 5/8 in.; No. 4 Flower vessel オリベ花入, stoneware, h:4 5/8 × w:1 3/4 in.; No. 3 Flower vessel with white glaze on black clay, stoneware, h:4 3/8 × w:1 5/8 in.

Spring Collection: The Art of Flower Vessels
April 3 – 10, 2025
Online & By Appointment Only

This spring, Dai Ichi Arts is delighted to present a selection of exquisite flower vases by contemporary Japanese ceramic artists, celebrating the cherished tradition of Hanami—the art of flower viewing in Japan. Close by in New York city’s Central Park, the gallery shares in the joy of the season’s fleeting beauty, as the timeless Yoshino cherry blossoms (sakura), magnolias, and tulips come into bloom.

They warmly invite you to experience the art of flower gazing with these beautifully crafted vessels—each a tribute to the changing seasons and the arrival of spring in this virtual exhibition.

Though the gallery is closed for the month of April (otherwise open by appointment only), the team remains available to answer your queries virtually.

To learn more, click here.

Shima Tamami 島珠実 (1937–1999), Birds (Cranes)「憂いの鳥, Japan, 1959, ink and color on paper, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Purchase and partial gift of the Kenneth and Kiyo Hitch Collection from Kiyo Hitch with funds from the Mary Griggs Burke Endowment, S2019.3.1605

Sneak Peek | Women of The Print Generation
Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 12-12:40pm
Free on Zoom

Japanese women have likely always been involved in printmaking throughout history, but only a few have been recognized as artists in the same way as their male counterparts. This online talk introduces some of the women who were active as printmakers in the twentieth century and considers how these artists expanded their professional opportunities. Dr. Lillian Wies, Harvard Art Museums, will examine the historical reasons for their lack of representation in scholarship and museum collections. She’ll also dive into the curatorial strategies used to include these often-overlooked artists in the current exhibition The Print Generation (open through April 27, 2025). Wies’ talk will conclude with a Q&A facilitated by The Print Generation curator, Kit Brooks, Princeton University Art Museum.

To learn more and register for free, click here.

Utagawa Kunisada (Japanese, 1786–1864), Cherry Blossoms and Three Swallows, 1800s, woodblock print; ink and color on paper, 8 ¾ x 11 1/8 in. (22.2 x 28.3 cm); The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 32-143/219

Lasting Impressions: The Art of Japanese Woodblock Prints
April 5 – July 6, 2025
Gallery 205

For over 1,200 years, woodblock printing has been a vital force in Japanese art, giving artists a powerful means to create multiple impressions of nearly identical works. In woodblock printing, artists cut images and patterns into wooden blocks, creating shapes and lines they can ink and print numerous times. This technique’s ability to reproduce images made it essential for spreading ideas and cultural values across centuries. This exhibition highlights 38 woodblock prints created between 770 C.E. and 1970s, alongside paintings and carved woodblocks, highlighting the evolution of techniques and themes in Japanese art.

To learn more, click here.

Sages and Heroes: Storytelling in Asian Art
April 12 – November 30, 2025
Gallery 222

Storytelling is a vital part of many Asian cultures. The works in this gallery were created by Japanese, Chinese, Burmese, Indian, Persian, and Armenian artists from the 1200s to 1800s. Drawing inspiration from Asian literature, religion, and history, these artists enliven stories with their dynamic visual narratives.

Visual storytelling comes alive via the artists’ skillful hands. Their portrayals convey each story’s intent to entertain, provide advice, promote a set of beliefs, or commemorate people or events. Similarly, the artists’ choices of format and material enhance the viewing experience in public or private. These treasures from the museum’s collection connect us to the joy of storytelling through art.

To learn more, click here.

Iinstallation view, Elegance and Simplicity: Bohnchang Koo and Geejo Lee

Elegance and Simplicity: Bohnchang Koo and Geejo Lee
Closing Tuesday, April 8, 2025
49 East 78th Street, Suite 4B
Mon-Fri, 11am-5:30pm, by appointment

This is the final week to view the exceptional Asia Week New York exhibit, Elegance and Simplicity: Bohnchang Koo and Geejo Lee, at HK Art & Antiques LLC before it closes on April 8! Featuring the renowned works of two masters in their respective fields: Bohnchang Koo, a celebrated photographer, and Geejo Lee, an established contemporary ceramic artist, this presentation offers a rare opportunity to experience the intersection of these two extraordinary artists’ practices.

Bohnchang Koo is internationally acclaimed for his evocative photography, which captures the passage of time and the fragile beauty of objects. His renowned Vessels series explores the delicate nature of Joseon-era baekja (white porcelains), highlighting the pure beauty of Korea’s cultural heritage. In creating this series, Koo photographed baekja from museum collections in Korea and around the world. With a career spanning over three decades, his still life photography – ranging from Joseon ceramics to objects collected during his travels – invites viewers to reflect on history, beauty, and the fleeting nature of time.

Geejo Lee is a contemporary ceramic artist known for his innovative take on traditional Korean ceramics. Lee works with traditional methods and materials, including the same clay used to create Moon Jars, crafting vessels that are prized for their simplicity and functionality. His ceramic creations embody a fusion of timeless traditions and contemporary design, producing works that are not only visually stunning but also suitable for everyday use. Lee’s mastery of ceramic techniques and his deep understanding of Korean ceramics have made him a key figure in South Korea’s contemporary ceramic movement.

Immerse yourself in the dialogue between Koo’s meditative photographs of Joseon ceramic vessels and Lee’s elegantly crafted ceramics. Together, their works evoke the quiet beauty of craftsmanship, time, and tradition, offering a profound and contemplative experience. Be sure to view this enthralling exhibition before it closes!

To learn more, click here.

(Top): Kawashima Shigeo, Dance of Shrine Maiden, 2024, madake bamboo, lacquer, 14.5 x 14.75 x 13.5 in.; (Bottom): Barbara Riley, Earth’s Roar, sumi-e ink on paper, 13.25 x 26.25 in.

Curatorial Vignette: Demons & Monsters at TAI… Oh My!
March 28 – April 26, 2025
Opening Reception: Friday, March 28, 5-7pm
1601 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM

TAI Modern is pleased to present Demons & Monsters at TAI… Oh My!, a curatorial vignette featuring the shapeshifting Japanese bamboo art of Kawashima Shigeo from the gallery’s collection, contemporary pop art paintings of Japanese monsters in their plastic worlds by Joel Nakamura, and Zen ink brush paintings of supernatural creatures and yōkai by Barbara Riley.

Although formal, scholarly research of yōkai is in its infancy (there isn’t even a fixed definition of what the term means: for their purposes, somewhere between a demon and a monster—the creatures of bedtime and fairytale stories), TAI Modern invites local New Mexican artists Joel Nakamura and Barbara Riley to showcase their interpretation of yōkai culture alongside the whisper-thin abstract bamboo works of Kawashima Shigeo.

Kawashima Shigeo admits that, when he was a young man, he wanted to “Live in a remote place like a mountain hermit.” But it wasn’t until he was twenty-seven years old that bamboo came into his life as an artistic expression. He generally doesn’t weave with it, as is the traditional technique, but allows it to find form through tying knots with rattan to hold the tangles into a form. The result is a feral, light, expressionistic take on contemporary Japanese bamboo sculpture.

Joel Nakamura is a multi-disciplinary artist who works with myths and legends within a blend of folk art and neo-primitive painting techniques. In addition to being an accomplished children’s book writer and illustrator, he has taken commissions from Time Magazine, US News & World Report, and the Los Angeles Times.

Barbara Riley worked as a freelance writer and editor for over half her life but spent time throughout working in a more formal sphere to copy paintings from hundreds of books in her library—from Korean Modernism, classical Chinese landscapes, to Japanese Zenga. This allowed her to find space for expression and originality in the traditional art of sumi-e ink painting.

Bringing painting together with sculptural forms, Demons & Monsters at TAI… Oh My! explores the relationship between mythology and technique. It also promises to be a raucous time, containing the traditional Japanese Hyakki Yagyō (night procession of one hundred demons) parading on the walls of the gallery!

To learn more, click here.

Temple of Kamakura from David King Jr.’s souvenir album from Japan, circa 1871

The Preservation Society is delighted to present an exciting lineup of events this spring! The Lifting the Curtain lecture series offers a rare glimpse into the hidden treasures of Gilded Age photography, showcasing seldom-seen gems from the archives. Additionally, The Newport Piccolo Simposio, a day-long symposium, will bring together leading fine and decorative arts experts to explore the profound influence of Italian art and design on Gilded Age Newport. Be sure to sign up in-person or online via Zoom today!

Winter Program Series: Lifting the Curtain
Newport through a New Lens: Treasures of Photography at the Preservation Society
March 27, 2025 at 6pm (EST)
In-person Tickets: $20 Non-Member Adult; $15 Member Adult
Zoom Tickets: $10 Non-Member Adult; $0 Member Adult

Join Dr. Nicole Williams, Preservation Society Curator of Collections for a fascinating lecture on The Preservation Society’s extraordinary archive of Gilded Age photographs. Encompassing portraits of celebrities and families, transporting foreign views, and images of Newport landmarks, Dr. Williams will explore how pioneering photographers pushed the limits of the medium, often blurring the line between truth and artifice, to cultivate intimacy, critique injustice and convey knowledge and power.

She will also explore how these photographs offer fresh insights into Newport’s iconic architecture and art collections. A standout piece in the archive is an early photograph of Japan from an album purchased by Newporter David King Jr. (1839–1894) at the Yokohama studio of the trailblazing photographer Felice Beato. King’s firsthand experience in Japan likely influenced his decision to commission McKim, Mead & White to design Kingscote’s dining room in the 1880s, incorporating elegant Japanesque elements.

This lecture is available in-person and via Zoom. To learn more and register, click here.

The Breakers Great Hall, designed 1892 by Richard Morris Hunt

The Newport Piccolo Simposio: Italian Influence in Newport
April 3, 2025 from 8:30am–4pm (EST)
Zoom Tickets: $25

The Preservation Society is excited to bring back the Newport Symposium after a 5-year hiatus. Piccolo Simposio (Italian for “little symposium”) will be a daylong immersion into Italian art and design in Gilded Age Newport, and their continuing influence today. From Chateau-sur-Mer to The Elms to The Breakers and beyond, the Gilded Age elite were enamored with Italian or Italian-inspired architecture, interiors, landscapes and art. Join a panel of experts as they examine this many-faceted topic.

While in-person attendance for this program is sold out, you can join the waitlist by emailing [email protected] or secure your spot for the live online event by purchasing Zoom tickets today.

To learn more and register, click here.