Artist/maker unknown, Chinese, Jar with a Mythical Qilin, Lion, and Elephant, late 1600s, porcelain with underglaze blue, polychrome enamel, and gilt decoration (Jingdezhen ware), 22 1/8 x 12 3/8 inches (56.2 x 31.4 cm), The Alfred and Margaret Caspary Memorial Gift, 1955

Mythical Creatures: China and the World
December 21, 2023 – June 1, 2025

This newly opened exhibition explores the theme of diversity by comparing mythical creatures from different cultures. While these fantastical animals may look different, they serve a similar purpose – to help humans make sense of the world.

On view are classic Chinese legendary mythical creatures—the dragon, phoenix and qilin—juxtaposed with collection highlights from Japan, Korea, South and Southeast Asia, as well as Persia and Western Europe, to show the diversity of mythical creatures throughout the world, as well as their similarities and differences. Elaborately embroidered costumes and silver headdresses created by Miao, Yi and other minority peoples decorated with dragons, phoenixes, and creatures relating to origin myths are on display along with Chinese contemporary works of mythical creatures by artists Xu Bing and Ai Weiwei which show how the past continues to inform art today.

To learn more, click here.

Konno Tomoko (b. 1967), P-cell, 2015, stoneware with nerikomi, h. 6 1/2 x w. 10 x d. 6 1/4 in. (16.5 x 25.5 x 16 cm)

Contemporary Japanese Ceramics as Statement
Closing Friday, December 22, 2023
521 West 26th Street

This week Onishi Gallery draws to a close their current exhibition of contemporary Japanese ceramics featuring Konno Tomoko, Suzuki Miki and Ohi Toshio Chozaemon XI whose sculptures are treated as artfully designed statement pieces which engage in meaningful dialogue with the interior of a home. Be sure to catch this exhibition before it closes tomorrow!

To learn more, click here.

Yuan Yao (Chinese, active 1730–after 1778), Inn and Travelers in Snowy Mountains (detail), 1745, hanging scroll; ink and color on silk, Image: 67 1/4 × 48 3/4 in. (170.8 × 123.8 cm), Overall with mounting: 10 ft. 1 3/4 in. × 50 1/2 in. (309.2 × 128.3 cm), Gift of Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Wang and Family, in memory of Douglas Dillon, 2003; On view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Spend your holidays in New York City and celebrate all the wonderful Asian art exhibitions on offer at the following museums! All those listed are closing next month, so be sure to catch them before the start of our March 2024 edition of Asia Week New York.  We wish you an art-filled holiday season!

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART
Learning to Paint in Premodern China
Closing January 7, 2024
With paintings from The Met collection, along with a choice selection of important works from local private collectors, this exhibition considers the underexplored question of how painters learned their craft in premodern China.
To learn more, click here.

Kishi Chikudō (1826–1897), Tigers by Mountain Streams (verso), ca. 1892–5, pair of six-panel folding screens, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Gift of Harriet and Ed Spencer, 2012.1.2.1–2; On view at Asia Society

ASIA SOCIETY
Meiji Modern: Fifty Years of New Japan
Closing January 7, 2024
Comprising over 80 works—including paintings, prints, photographs, sculptural works, and objects in various media—this exhibition reevaluates a seminal era of turmoil, creativity, and transformation in Japan spanning the mid-nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries.
To learn more, click here.

Chen Lu (dates unknown), Plum Blossoms in the Moonlight (detail), hanging scroll, ink on paper, Collection of the Tianjin Museum; On view at China Institute

CHINA INSTITUTE
Zoom Into Painting: Details from Exhibition Flowers on a River
Closing January 12, 2024
This special showcase features enlarged details of flower-and-bird paintings from the works of 21 selected artists and includes a dedicated “painting station,” which allows you to experiment with your own brushwork and engage more deeply with the art of ink plum painting.
To learn more, click here.

Lords of the Charnel Ground, Smashana Adipati, Tibet, 18th c., painted terracotta, Rubin Museum of Art; C2002.36.1 (HAR 65149), photograph by David De Armas, Rubin Museum of Art, 2012; On view at Rubin Museum of Art

RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART
Death is Not the End
Closing January 14, 2024
Death Is Not the End is a cross-cultural exhibition that explores notions of death and afterlife through the art of Tibetan Buddhism and Christianity. During a time of great global turmoil, loss, and uncertainty, the exhibition invites contemplation of the universal human condition of impermanence and the desire to continue to exist.
To learn more, click here.

George Maciunas, Poster for Works by Yoko Ono, Carnegie Recital Hall, New York, 1961; Digital image © The Museum of Modern Art/Licensed by SCALA/Art Resource NY; On view at Japan Society

JAPAN SOCIETY
Out of Bounds: Japanese Women Artists in Fluxus
Closing January 21, 2024
Near the 60th anniversary of the movement’s founding, this exhibition highlights the contributions of four pioneering Japanese artists — Shigeko Kubota (1937–2015), Yoko Ono (1933–), Takako Saito (1929–), and Mieko Shiomi (1938–) — and contextualizes their role within Fluxus and the broader artistic movements of the 1960s and beyond.
To learn more, click here.

The Asia Week New York Association is delighted to announce the participation of twenty-eight esteemed international galleries and six leading auction houses —Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle, Heritage Auctions, iGavel, and Sotheby’s–in the 2024 edition of Asia Week New York. Marking its 15th year in celebrating Asian art and culture, the exhibitions, and auctions will run from March 14th through March 22nd.

This year, Asia Week New York welcomes back Carlton Rochell Asian Art and 19th Century Print Shop, both from New York; BachmannEckenstein from Switzerland; London dealer Francesca Galloway; and newcomer Alisan Fine Arts from Hong Kong.

They and the other participating galleries and auction houses will present a breathtaking array of treasures featuring the rarest and finest examples of Asian porcelain, jewelry, textiles, paintings, ceramics, sculpture, bronzes, and prints from across Asia, dating from the second millennium BCE to the present.

“As we celebrate this noteworthy milestone, Asia Week New York thrives by upholding its tradition of presenting excellence across diverse fields,” says Brendan Lynch, chairman of Asia Week New York and co-director of Oliver Forge & Brendan Lynch, LLC, based in London. “Fifteen years and counting, this event is a testament to the enduring passion of collectors, curators and art aficionados for Asian art.”

Organized by specialty, the following is the 2024 dealer roster:

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

• Art Passages (United States)
• Oliver Forge & Brendan Lynch LLC (England)
• Francesca Galloway (England)
• Kapoor Galleries (United States)
• Thomas Murray (United States)
• Carlton Rochell Asian Art (United States)

Ancient and/or Contemporary Chinese Art

• 19th Century Print Shop (United St
• Alisan Fine Arts (Hong Kong)
• Fu Qiumeng Fine Art (United States)
• Ralph M. Chait Galleries, Inc. (United States)
• INKstudio (United States/China)
• Kaikodo LLC (United States)
• Zetterquist Galleries (United States)

Ancient and/or Contemporary Japanese Art

• The Art of Japan (United States)
• BachmannEckenstein (Switzerland)
• Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. (United States)
• Egenolf Gallery Japanese Prints (United States)
• Ippodo Gallery (United States)
• Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art (United States)
• Joan B Mirviss LTD (United States)
• Onishi Gallery (United States)
• Scholten Japanese Art (United States)
• Shibunkaku (Japan)
• Thomsen Gallery (United States)
• TAI Modern (United States)
• Hiroshi Yanagi Oriental Art (Japan)
• Miyako Yoshinaga (United States)

Ancient and Contemporary Korean Art

• HK Art & Antiques LLC (United States)

Captions: (Top to bottom)

Vajrapani Mandala
Tibet
14th/15th century
Distemper on cloth
25 5/8 x 19¾ in. (65 by 50 cm)
Courtesy: Carlton Rochell Asian Art

Large Vietnamese Blue and White Jar with Tigers, Horses Birds and Deer
Vietnam
15th/16th century
Height: 43 cm
Courtesy: Zetterquist Galleries

Hosoda Eishi
(1756−1829)
Standing Beauty with a Letter in her Hand
Hanging scroll: ink, color, and gold pigment on silk
30½ x 9¾ in. (77.5 x 24.8 cm)
Kansei era, circa 1793−95
Signed: Eishi zu
Sealed: Kakei
Courtesy: Sebastian Izzard LLC Asian Art

Chung Sanghwa (b.1932)
82-2-6, 1986
Oil on canvas
39 1/4 x 25 1/2 in. (99.7 x 64.8 cm)
Courtesy: HK Art & Antiques LLC

Kiyoshi Saito (1907-1997), Bunraku Puppet of a Woman, ca. 1960s, 43 x 29.2 cm, Seal: Kiyoshi, Signature: Kiyoshi Saito (in pencil)

Check out Egenolf Gallery’s website for their newest acquisitions and Holiday Gift Ideas section for affordable prints if you’re still looking for the perfect gift.

Click here to view them all.

Tanaka Yu 田中悠. Bag Work (フクロモノ) (detail), 2018; Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz Collection of Contemporary Japanese Ceramics

Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan
December 16, 2023 – June 3, 2024
Members Exclusive Lecture: Saturday, Dec 16, 2-3pm (registration required)

Since World War II, women have made influential contributions to the ceramics field in Japan that have not been adequately recognized. This exhibition focuses on the explosion of innovative and technically ambitious compositions by such artists since 1970—a body of work which they developed in parallel with, but often separately from, traditional, male-dominated Japanese practice and its countermovements.

Radical Clay: Contemporary Women Artists from Japan celebrates 36 contemporary ceramic artists through 40 stunning, virtuosic pieces. By presenting both established and emerging artists with a range of styles together, this exhibit showcases their important collective achievements and impact.

All of the selected pieces are from the exemplary collection of Carol and Jeffrey Horvitz, who are thrilled to bring these artists to global attention. The exhibition is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue with essays by Janice Katz, Joe Earle, and Hollis Goodall.

There will also be a Members exclusive in-person lecture held on the opening day from 2-3pm. Join Janice Katz, Roger L. Weston, Associate Curator of Japanese Art, for an in-depth discussion of this stunning show.

To learn more, click here.

Kapoor Galleries
Joint Exhibition with H. Edward Gallery
December 15–28 2023
34 E. 67th St, 3rd Fl.

Kapoor Galleries in association with H. Edward Gallery are pleased to present their upcoming joint exhibition together featuring a curated selection of art from Kapoor Galleries alongside works by Tsherin Sherpa, Waseem Ahmed and Amal Lin.

Be sure to visit them at their Upper East Side gallery this month where contemporary art meets classical art.

On the Wall
December 5–31, 2023

TAI Modern is pleased to present a group exhibition of Japanese bamboo hanging baskets and wall-mounted sculptures made by Japanese bamboo artists, both contemporary and historic during this winter season. Artists featured include Hayakawa Shokosai I, Honma Hideaki, Nagakura Kenichi, Nakatomi Hajime, Honda Seikai, Kosuge Kogetsu, Tanabe Chikuunsai I, Morigami Jin, Isohi Setsuko, Ueno Masao, and Watanabe Chiaki.

To view the exhibition, click here.