Group of E-Seto Ceramics

Specializing in modern Japanese ceramics, Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. is beaming in our Gallery Spotlight this week. Since 1989, they have featured significant ceramic works to New York’s contemporary art scene and have placed pieces in important private and public museum collections around the world.

Beatrice Chang is the founder and director of the gallery and a leading expert in Japanese and Chinese ceramics, providing guidance to a diverse clientele ranging from casual enthusiasts to dedicated collectors and museum curators. With her deep connections with artists, Chang has championed and introduced contemporary Japanese ceramics to her clients through inspiring exhibitions and online catalogs.

Dai Ichi Arts’ current exhibit, Tales of Seto: An Exhibition of E-Seto Ceramics, is one such example, as it embarks on a journey through time, into the old origins of ceramics from the Seto region encompassing a range of historical periods from Edo, to Meiji and Showa, celebrating the ceramics of what is now known as “E-Seto.” This is the last week to appreciate the origins of Seto pottery, so be sure to visit before the show closes on August 9th!

To learn more, click here.

Tōshūsai Sharaku, The Actor Ichikawa Omezō as the Manservant Ippei in The Loved Wife’s Parti-Colored Reins (detail), 1794; Courtesy Art Institute Chicago

Continuing with our list of not-to-miss exhibitions from our AWNY member museums, below are some more fantastic exhibitions currently on view across the country. Be sure to visit them if you’re in town or traveling to these cities!

Art Institute Chicago
Kabuki-Actor Portraits by Tōshūsai Sharaku
Through October 14, 2024

In this newly opened exhibit, the Art Institute explores the short but generative career of Tōshūsai Sharaku, who produced around 150 prints representing Kabuki actors between the summer of 1794 and early spring of 1795.  In a mere ten months, these prints of unusual characters with exaggerated, almost comic expressions and awkward poses were popular mementos for fans of the stage.

To learn more, click here.

Hunting on Horses (騎馬狩獵) (detail), c. 1600s–1700s, China, Ming dynasty to Qing dynasty; Courtesy The Cleveland Museum of Art

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Six Dynasties of Chinese Painting
Closing Sept 1, 2024

Six Dynasties of Chinese Painting presents a selection of the museum’s most important paintings that cover six different dynasties, including the modern era. These paintings represent various subject matter, from figures, landscapes, animals, birds, and flowers to religious and historic themes; their dates of acquisition range from the museum’s founding years to the most recent additions, demonstrating a continuous commitment to Chinese painting, a field that has always been the strongest asset of The Cleveland Museum’s Chinese collection.

To learn more, click here.

Tokio Ueyama, The Evacuee, 1942, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in; Courtesy Japanese American National Museum; Gift of Kayoko Tsukada; ©Estate of Tokio Ueyama; Courtesy Denver Art Museum

Denver Art Museum
The Life and Art of Tokio Ueyama
July 28, 2024 – June 1, 2025

Newly opened last week, The Life and Art of Tokio Ueyama tells the story of Ueyama’s life, including his early days as an art student in San Francisco, Southern California, and Philadelphia; his travels abroad in Europe and Mexico; his role as artist and community member in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles; and his incarceration during World War II at the Granada Relocation Center, now the Amache National Historic Site, in southeast Colorado.

To learn more, click here.

Liu Dan 劉丹, Scholar’s Rock, 1993, ink on paper; Purchase through the generosity of Alan J. and Suzanne W. Dworsky and through the Ernest B. and Helen Pratt Dane Fund for Asian Art, 2003.83. © 1993 Liu Dan; Courtesy Harvard Art Museums

Harvard Art Museums
East Asian Art Gallery Reinstallation
Through December 1, 2024

One of the highlights in their recently reinstalled East Asian Art Gallery is this ink on paper work by Liu Dan. For at least 2,000 years, Chinese artists and scholars have collected unusually shaped stones, commonly known as “scholars’ rocks,” to display in their studios and gardens, regarding them as microcosmic landscapes to be explored in the mind’s eye. Rendered on an almost planetary scale, Liu Dan’s Scholar’s Rock is part of a larger display at the Harvard Art Musuems examining the many ways in which artists in East Asia have manipulated scale to change the viewer’s perception of a subject.

To learn more, click here.

Rubbing of Ritual Disc with Dragon Motifs (Bi) (detail), China, 19th-early 20th c., hanging scroll, ink on paper, 14 5/16 in (36.35 cm); Bequest of Laurence Sickman, F88-45/110; Courtesy Nelson Atkins Museum of Art

Nelson Atkins Museum of Art
The Art of Ink Rubbings: Impressions of Chinese Culture
July 20, 2024 – February 02, 2025

This newly opened exhibition features more than 25 rubbings, as well as some of the original objects, offering a window into the remarkable practice, variety, and allure of Chinese ink rubbing. As early as 600 C.E., scholars and collectors commissioned ink rubbings to preserve ancient inscriptions carved on stone or bronze. Due to its simplicity, beauty, and affinity to important historical objects, ink rubbings’ popularity endured despite advances in other reproductive media. In the 1930s, future Nelson-Atkins director Laurence Sickman (1907–1988) amassed an extensive collection of ink rubbings and, with other collectors, introduced Chinese ink rubbings to a global audience.

To learn more, click here.

Shibata Zeshin, Japanese, 1807-1891, Still Life with Vegetables, 19th c., colored lacquer and gold leaf on paper, 7 1/8 × 10 5/8 in (18.1 × 27 cm); On loan from The Catherine and Thomas Edson Collection, L.2009.10.3; Courtesy San Antonio Museum of Art

San Antonio Museum of Art
The Exquisite Art of Shibata Zeshin: Lacquerwares and Paintings
Through October 27, 2024

Japanese lacquerwares reached a pinnacle in the work of artist Shibata Zeshin during the Meiji period (1868–1912). Zeshin was a multi-talented artist who learned traditional painting techniques but was also extraordinarily skilled in using lacquer. Notably, he adapted this difficult medium to painting by inventing a way to maintain the flexibility of the lacquer so that a scroll could be rolled without cracking. Works on view include sake ewers, stacked boxes for food, storage boxes for paper and clothing, writing boxes with inkstones and brushes, and paintings.

To learn more, click here.

Installation view, COAL + ICE, Asia Society

As we head into August, why not spend these late summer days exploring some fascinating art exhibitions in and around New York City at our Asia Week New York member museums listed below? There’s a great mix of newly opened shows and those that are about to close, so be sure to catch them all in the coming weeks!

Asia Society
COAL + ICE
Closing August 11, 2024

Closing this coming Sunday, this immersive photography and video exhibition brings together the works of more than 37 photographers and artists from China and around the world that visualize the causes and consequences of the climate crisis. While the exhibit brings to life the environmental and human costs of climate change, it also highlights the innovative solutions that provide hope for a more sustainable future.

To learn more, click here.

Kondō Takahiro, Reflection: TK Self Portrait, 2010., glazed porcelain, 19 1/16 × 6 3/16 in. (48.5 × 15.7 cm), Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection, © Kondō Takahiro, photo by Richard P. Goodbody and John Morgan; Courtesy Brooklyn Museum

Brooklyn Museum
Museum Spotlight: Porcelains in the Mist: The Kondō Family of Ceramicists
Through December 8, 2024

Porcelains in the Mist brings together 61 pieces that celebrate the Kondō family’s innovations and talents. Their early creations range from freehand-painted vases to pure-white jars. Most of the works on view are by the younger ceramicist, Kondō Takahiro (b. 1958), who invented the technique of “silver mist,” or gintekisai, as seen in his self-portrait sculpture above. Describing this effect as “water born from fire,” he often pairs his mists with dramatic shapes and textures.

To learn more, click here.

Courtesy Korean Cultural Center NY

Korean Cultural Center NY
Jinhee Lee: Boundaries of Existence
Closing August 17, 2024

Boundaries of Existence by Jinhee Lee, professor in the Department of Stage Design at the Korea National University of Arts and award-winning costume designer of films and Korean dramas, features stage design pieces from Lee’s career since 1999, traditional Korean costume designs for film, and her sculptures, paintings, and media art. In this exhibition, Lee combines sculptural characteristics with three-dimensional media to emphasize a dynamic and immersive experience. Her works embody a free and bold aesthetic sense, reflecting Korea’s unique nature-friendly philosophy.

To learn more, click here.

Courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co.
Through October 20, 2024

This newly opened exhibition features the personal collection of Edward C. Moore, the creative force who led Tiffany & Co. to unparalleled originality and success during the second half of the 19th century. His collection of decorative arts were of exceptional quality and in various media, from Japanese baskets to metalwork from the Islamic world, and were a great source of inspiration for Moore and the designers he supervised.  The show features more than 180 pieces from his collection that were donated to the Museum, alongside 70 magnificent silver objects designed and created at Tiffany & Co. under his direction.

To learn more, click here.

Landscape (detail), Hosokawa Rinkoku (1782–1842), Japan, Edo period, 1835, handscroll, ink and color on paper, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, The Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, Gift of Mary and Cheney Cowles, F2021.4.11a–c; Courtesy National Museum of Asian Art

National Museum of Asian Art
Imagined Neighbors: Japanese Visions of China, 1680–1980
Closing September 15, 2024

Imagined Neighbors presents Japanese artworks from the Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection, which was gifted to the Museum between 2018 and 2022 and is arguably the largest and most comprehensive group of Japanese literati works outside of Japan. The paintings and calligraphy in this exhibition fuse reality with imagination and remain important to understanding the continuing, complex engagement of Japanese artists with China, to them both a real and an imagined place.

For learn more, click here.

Artist/maker unknown, Astrological Sign of Capricorn, c. 1810-1820, Indian; Courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art

Philadelphia Museum of Art
Mythical Creatures: China and the World
Through June 1, 2025

This exhibition explores the theme of diversity by bringing together mythical creatures from China as well as across Asia and Europe. Representations of paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, textiles, and contemporary toy bricks, dating from the 1000s to today illustrate how these fantastical beasts, although sometimes perceived as the same, are quite different.

To learn more, click here.

The Great Elephant Migration: A Coexistence Story, The Breakers; Courtesy The Preservation Society of Newport County

The Preservation Society of Newport County
The Great Elephant Migration: A Coexistence Story
Through September 6, 2024

Come face-to-face with 26 life-size Indian elephant sculptures as they parade across the back lawn of The Breakers this summer. The Great Elephant Migration is an outdoor art exhibition presented by Elephant Family USA in collaboration with Dodie Kazanjian of Art & Newport and various contemporary artists. It promotes human-wildlife coexistence as a solution to biodiversity loss. Each elephant is also available for purchase with proceeds going towards non-governmental organizations performing conservation work around the world.

To learn more, click here.

Installation View, Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now, Rubin Museum of Art

Rubin Museum of Art
Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now
Through October 6, 2024

These are the last few months to experience this Museum-wide exhibition before The Rubin closes their physical location and transition into a global museum model on October 6, 2024. With over 30 contemporary artists, many from the Himalayan region and diaspora and others inspired by Himalayan art and cultures, this show contemplates and celebrates what Himalayan art means now inviting new ways of encountering traditional Himalayan art.

To learn more, click here.

Installation View, Year of the Dragon, Yale University Art Gallery

Yale University Art Gallery
Year of the Dragon
Through November 10, 2024

This exhibition celebrates this Year of the Dragon with a presentation of nearly 30 artworks spanning from the 17th century to the present day.  The objects on view, which are largely drawn from their collection, feature dragons on folding screens, paintings, textiles, ceramics, ivory, and woodblock prints. Taking inspiration from East Asian history, folklore, and myth, these works demonstrate a long, complex, and continuing artistic tradition around this fantastical creature.

To learn more, click here.

Visitors in the immersive Seven Jeweled Mountain exhibition at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Virtual Lunchtime Lecture: Making Into the Seven Jeweled Mountain
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
12:00 – 1:00pm
Free on Zoom (registration required)

Join the Cleveland Museum of Art staff next Tuesday for a quick bite of art history! Learn about their current immersive experience, Into the Seven Jeweled Mountain, where viewers are surrounded by vivid animations inspired by a 19th century folding screen that illustrates the mountain’s striking scenery. This ten-panel screen, Seven Jeweled Mountain, is on view just outside the experience exclusively at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Named Seven Jeweled Mountain from a local legend claiming seven different kinds of jewels—gold, silver, pearls, coral, seashells, agate, and crystal—were buried in there, this natural wonder gained popularity after Im Hyeong-soo (1514–1547) published a detailed travelogue about his hiking experience. Pulling from his experience, viewers are taken through a virtual hike amid swiftly changing weather, unique geological features, and breathtaking vistas in this immersive display, offering a rare opportunity to discover a place beyond reach. 

During this lunchtime lecture, Sooa McCormick, Korea Foundation Curator of Korean Art, introduces her research on the historical accounts used in the content of this groundbreaking exhibition, and Jane Alexander, chief digital information officer, provides a rare window into the production process for immersive digital experiences and a glimpse into what’s next.

To learn more and register for this informative talk on Zoom, click here.

Standing Screen, Li Ailian, 19th century, Gift of Mrs. Elizabeth M. Smith

The Eaddo & Peter Kiernan Lecture
China and Newport: A Journey through Two Centuries
Tuesday, August 6th at 6pm EDT
Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Ave, Newport, RI
Free in-person or via Zoom

Join The Preservation Society of Newport County for China and Newport: A Journey through Two Centuries, one of their annual Eaddo & Peter Kiernan Lectures next Tuesday, August 6th. Their Curatorial Research Fellow, Dani Zhang, will discuss her exploration of Chinese artwork and objects, many produced for a Western market, held in the collection of The Preservation Society of Newport County. Through a close examination of materials, forms and motifs, she will illuminate the nuanced relationship between Chinese art, American collecting and display practices from the China Trade as part of the Gilded Age.

Many of these works were showcased in their groundbreaking exhibition at Rosecliff, The Celestial City: Newport and China, which has just been honored by the American Association for State and Local History with its Award of Excellence. This prestigious award is a tribute to the thorough and thoughtful work of their Curator of Collections, Dr. Nicole Williams, and staff researchers who uncovered untold stories of Newport’s history: the contributions of Chinese and Chinese American individuals to life in Newport from the 18th century through the Gilded Age. We congratulate them on this great honor!

To learn more and register for the lecture, click here.

Installation view, Master Brushworks, Kapoor Galleries

This week’s Gallery Spotlight shines upon the multigenerational family business, Kapoor Galleries. Founded in 1975 with a passion for preserving and celebrating the rich tapestry of Asian art, this long-standing gallery specializes in Indian & Himalayan Arts. It has been and continues to be an invaluable resource for museum quality works of art for art enthusiasts, collectors, and scholars alike. Notable for its breadth and depth, the collection has seen pieces accessioned by prestigious institutions, further solidifying the gallery’s status in the art world.

Looking ahead, Kapoor Galleries remains dedicated to exploring new dimensions in the world of Asian art. Whether through innovative digital experiences, collaborative projects, or educational initiatives, the gallery continues to push the boundaries, ensuring that the beauty and wisdom of Asian art remain accessible and relevant to future generations.

Be sure to catch their current exhibit, Master Brushworks, featuring recent work by Tibetan artist Pema Rinzin, in dialogue with notable pieces from the gallery’s collection before it closes August 6th.  The exhibition highlights the intricacy of ancient Tibetan artistic practices while illustrating the lineage of tradition through the contemporary pieces of Rinzin.

To learn more about this exhibition, click here for the online catalog.

Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, 1797–1858), Plum Estate, Kameido (Kameido Umeyashiki), no. 30 from 100 Famous Views of Edo, 11th month of 1857, woodblock print, 14 3/16 × 9 1/4 in. (36 × 23.5 cm), Brooklyn Museum; Gift of Anna Ferris, 30.1478.30. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Hiroshige’s 100 Famous Views of Edo (feat. Takashi Murakami)
Closing August 4, 2024
Teen Pop-Up Talk, Wednesday, July 31, 2-3pm (free with admission)
Scent Tours: Hiroshige’s Seasons, Thursday, August 1, 6:30-8pm ($35)
Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing and Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Gallery, 5th Fl.

This is the last week to catch one of Brooklyn Museum’s greatest treasures—Utagawa Hiroshige’s 100 Famous Views of Edo — before the exhibit closes this Sunday, August 4th!

Experience 19th century Edo (now Tokyo) through the eyes of revered Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige. From flowering gardens to picnics in the park, from summer rainstorms to fireworks over the water—you’ll be transported through space and time, brought into the intimacies of a city by an artist who loved it well.

Contemporary artist Takashi Murakami also created his own set of wondrous, fantastical paintings directly inspired by Hiroshige’s prints. These works invite you to reconsider Hiroshige’s world and his contributions to global art history.

This exhibition marks the first time in more than two decades that the prints are on public display. They have been stored in the dark to preserve their vibrancy, so see them while you can!

Also join the exhibition’s two public programs this week: A Teen Pop-Up Talk on Wednesday, July 31st and Scent Tour on Thursday, August 1st!

For more details and to view videos of the exhibition, click here.

 

Courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co.
Through October 20, 2024
The Met Fifth Avenue, Gallery 199

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s newly opened exhibition, Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co., features the personal collection of Edward C. Moore, the creative force who led Tiffany & Co. to unparalleled originality and success during the second half of the 19th century.

Throughout his life, Moore amassed a vast collection of decorative arts of exceptional quality and in various media, from Japanese ceramics and baskets to metalwork from the Islamic world. These objects were a source of inspiration for Moore, a noted silversmith in his own right, and the designers he supervised at Tiffany & Co.

Featuring more than 180 extraordinary examples from his collection, which was donated to the Museum, the exhibition also includes 70 magnificent silver objects designed and created at Tiffany & Co. under his direction and seldom seen examples from a dozen private and public lenders. A defining figure in the history of American silver, Moore played a pivotal role in shaping the legendary Tiffany design aesthetic and the evolution of The Met’s collection.

Accompanying this illuminating exhibit are many public events, including talks by Museum curators from the Japanese and Islamic Departments, scheduled throughout this summer and fall. For the detailed calendar, click here.

To learn more and view a video of the exhibit, click here.

Courtesy The Korea Society

Home/Away
Heejung Cho, Simpson Kim, Jian Yoo
Closing Wednesday, July 31, 2024

There is still time to visit The Korea Society for their current exhibit, Home/Away Heejung Cho, Simpson Kim, Jian Yoo, before it closes at the end of this month.

How can a Korean artist, however one identifies as such, shape their own narrative in this fast changing, global environment? Educated, living, and working in both the United States and South Korea, three Korean artists – Heejung Cho, Simpson Kim,  and Jian Yoo – ponder what home means to them by exploring the landscapes around them. Working in three distinctive media of sculpture, photography, and contemporary mother-of-pearl art, this group of young artists represents the international experience and diversity within the new generation of Korean artists and the fluid definition of one’s identity and home in the age of intercontinental living.

The gallery is open by appointment only, so be sure to reserve your spot at least 24 hours in advance by contacting [email protected] to view this summer show!

To learn more, click here.

Photo by Tadayuki Minamoto; Courtesy TAI Modern

Tradition and Innovation: Tanabe Chikuunsai IV and Apprentices
July 26 – August 31, 2024
Opening Reception: Friday, July 26, 5-7pm
Artist Gallery Walkthrough: Saturday, July 27, 2pm
1601 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM

TAI Modern is delighted to present Tradition and Innovation: Tanabe Chikuunsai IV and Apprentices. Led by master artist Tanabe Chikuunsai IV, this exhibition invites the viewer to glimpse the future of Japanese bamboo art. Driven to carry on the tradition of apprenticeship in Japan, Tanabe Chikuunsai IV’s studio currently hosts 10 apprentices, seven of whom have been invited to show at TAI Modern for the first time. They are Tashima Shiun, Nakamura Emika, Honda Yoko, Sano Kayoko, Hayashi Junpei, Ichikawa Yona, and Shimizu Yuki. As bamboo is always a family affair for the Tanabe family, Tradition and Innovation also features the work of Tanabe Mitsuko, Chikuunsai’s mother and bamboo master in her own right.

The Tanabe Chikuunsai lineage is the only surviving lineage of the great lineages in Japanese bamboo art, with a studio just outside of Osaka that is currently training its fifth generation of bamboo artists. From Tanabe Chikuunsai IV’s colossal installations at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and at TAI Modern in 2019, to recent international exhibitions and an ongoing collaboration with the fine fashion house Loewe, Tanabe has emerged as a leader and representative for a younger generation of bamboo artists.

The exhibition promises to be a debut of the highest caliber, with the artists expressing ideas and feelings about childhood, time, and the visceral sense of being aware of one’s own organs.  Tanabe’s Decayed Bamboo series will make its first US appearance. In these works, the bamboo twists and tangles with a feral energy, crowned with an abstracted handle made from a withered section of felled bamboo.

“Each generation of Chikuunsai has enjoyed taking on new challenges while carrying on the tradition. Innovating tradition while carrying on tradition is a contradiction of terms and a very difficult task,” Tanabe states. “However, I believe that friendly competition with the younger generation and the discovery of new concepts will lead bamboo art to a new future.”

TAI Modern will host Tanabe Chikuunsai IV and apprentices Hayashi Junpei, Ichikawa Yona, and Nakamura Emika at the opening reception this Friday evening, with an artists’ walkthrough the next day at their gallery in Sante Fe, NM. They hope you will be able to join them for this celebration of the future of bamboo art.

To learn more, click here.