Bingyi (Chinese, born 1975), The Eyes of Chaos: Remaking the Song Palace, 2021–22. On loan from the artist.

Calling the Soul: the Rhapsody of Taihang⁠,
Philadelphia Museum of Art
In person event, Saturday, March 4th, 11am-12pm⁠
Seating is first come, first serve⁠

A performance alongside works by Bingyi is held in junction with Oneness: Nature & Connectivity in Chinese Art, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The showcase and its accompanying programs are made possible by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Global.

Based between Beijing and Los Angeles, artist Bingyi creates and talks about a new work of art responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bingyi directly engages nature and the environment in her creative process, which spans the categories of ink art, land art, and performance.⁠ Her monumental immersive ink installation The Eyes of Chaos was created in the mountains of Henan province during the pandemic and is currently on view in the Chinese Reception Hall, Gallery 326, in our exhibition Oneness: Nature & Connectivity in Chinese Art.

Matsui Kosei (1927-2003), L-R: Jar, Neriage, Cleft Marbelized, 1985, marbelized stoneware; Jar with “Marbeling” Neriage Glaze, 1990s, marbelized stoneware; and Jar, Neriage, Glaze Marbelized, 1986, marbleized stoneware

INTANGIBLE HERITAGE, Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd.
March 10-31

For their Asia Week New York showcase this March 2023, Dai Ichi will present a selection of ceramic Living National Treasures artists, showcasing the revered Japanese modern masters in a new light. Porcelain, stoneware, celadon and iron glazes range in style, suggestive of the leaders who pioneered their respective craft to great acclaim and legacy the world over.

The honorific “Living National Treasure” dates back to 1947, when Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs sought a system to preserve artistic heritage deemed “intangible”.  It signifies “Preservers of Important Intangible Cultural Properties (重要無形文化財保持者)”. Artists Hadama Shoki, Shimaoka Tatsuzo, and Isezaki Jun feature prominently in the showcase, as does the vibrant art of Tokuda Yasokichi.

The Fathers of the People of Error Are Punished in Hell (detail), miniature from a copy of Hamla-i Haydari (‘Ali’s Exploits), India, Deccan, Hyderabad (?) ca. 1800, manuscript page; ink, opaque watercolor, and gold on paper, The David Collection, Copenhagen, 19/2015

Comparative Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds,
Asia Society
February 28-May 7, 2023

From now through May 7th, the Asia Society is exhibiting Comparative Hell: Arts of Asian Underworlds, which explores portrayals of hell across Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Islam in Asia. This is the first comprehensive exhibition of its kind in the United States, examining how systems of belief and the underworlds within them are manifest in the rich artistic creations of Asia.

Kawanabe Kyōsai (1831–1889, Japan), Even in Hell Money Counts (Jigoku no sata mo kane shidai), Bugs in the Food of the Hungry Ghost (Gaki no mono ni mushi), from the series One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (Kyōsai hyakuzu), Japan, Edo period (1615–1868), 1863–66 (Bunkyū 3–Keiō 2), Woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, William Sturgis Bigelow Collection, 11.37028

The cosmology of each religion is expressed through didactic paintings, sculptures, and sacred objects. Artwork on view portrays the ominous religious threats of fiery torture intended to shape values and beliefs, instill virtuous behavior, and encourage atonement for sins—reflecting a universal human desire for spiritual transformation. As different as they are, these ideas about judgment, punishment, and salvation after death are often shared by the varied traditions.

An illustrated catalogue accompanying the show includes contributions by curator and editor, Adriana Proser, and esteemed scholars Geok Yian Goh, Phyllis Granoff, Christiane Gruber, Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe, and D. Max Moerman. Copublished with Asia Society Museum by Officina Libraria, it is available for purchase at AsiaStore.

Read more, click here

L-R: Ritual wine pouring vessel (gong) with masks (taotie), dragons, and real animals, Anyang or middle Yangzi region, ca. 1100 B.C., bronze, Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer, F1961.33a–b; Ritual wine-pouring vessel (gong) with masks (taoti) and dragons, middle or late Anyang period, ca. 1100 B.C., bronze, Gift of Arthur M. Sackler, S1987.279a–b; Ritual wine-pouring vessel (gong) with masks (taotie), dragons, and real animals, middle Anyang period, ca. 1150–1100 B.C., bronze, Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment, F1939.53a–b (National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution)

This week, the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington D.C. opened two important new exhibitions.

Anyang: China’s Ancient City of Kings
February 25, 2023–April 28, 2024
Anyang: China’s Ancient City of Kings is the first major exhibition in the United States dedicated to Anyang, the capital of China’s Shang dynasty (occupied ca. 1250 BCE–ca. 1050 BCE). The source of China’s earliest surviving written records and the birthplace of Chinese archaeology, Anyang holds a special connection with the National Museum of Asian Art. In 1929, one year after Academia Sinica began archaeological work at the Bronze Age site, Li Chi assumed leadership of the excavations. At the time, he was also a staff member of the Freer Gallery of Art (1925–30). To promote archaeological practice in China, the Freer supported Li Chi and his first two seasons of work at Anyang. This collaboration, predicated on the advancement of scientific knowledge and the protection of cultural patrimony, marks an important chapter in the history of Sino-American relations.

Ikeda Koson (1801–1866), Maple Leaves on a Stream (detail), Edo period, 1856–58, pair of six-panel folding screens, ink and color on gilded paper, Purchase—Harold P. Stern Memorial Fund and funds provided by the Friends of the Freer and Sackler Galleries in appreciation of James W. Lintott and his exemplary service to the Galleries as chair of the Board of Trustees (2011–2015), Freer Gallery of Art, F2014.7.1–2

Rinpa Screens
February 25, 2023–January 28, 2024
Explore a selection of screens painted in the Rinpa style, a movement known for stylized forms in bright colors that spanned the seventeenth to the nineteenth century. A complementary display of ceramics demonstrates the aesthetic exchange facilitated by trade between Japan and China and interrogates what makes a work of art Japanese.

Hayashi Shotaro 林正太郎 (born 1947), Whirlpool Oribe Long Platter, stoneware, H.5.5 x W. 25.5 x
Dia. 14 in. (13.9 x 64.7 x 35.5 cm.), with signed wood box

Objects of Affection, Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd.
February Group Show
Concludes February 28, 2023

From small sake cups that rest tenderly in one’s hands to recent masterpieces by potters, Dai Ichi Arts presents a group of delightful objects to accompany you this February. The gallery is excited to exhibit a group show, showcasing the works of Shingu Sayaka, Inayoshi Osamu, Takada Naoki, Hayashi Shotaro, Kitamura Junko, and more.

L-R: Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849), South Wind, Clear Dawn (Gaifu kaisei), circa 1831-33, color woodblock print, Sebastian Izzard LLC; Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Waterwheel at Onden (Onden no suisha), from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjûrokkei), 1830-31, The Art of Japan; Yamamura Koka (Toyonari) (1885-1942), Dancing at the New Carlton Cafe in Shanghai, 1924, woodblock print, Scholten Japanese Art; and Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861), Yoshitsune and Benkei on Gojo Bridge, circa 1839-1840, color woodblock diptych, Egenolf Gallery Japanese Prints

Four renowned Japanese art galleries will exhibit exceptional examples of woodblock prints in March.

The Art of Japan
Fine Japanese Prints: 300 Years of Japanese Prints, Ukiyo-e—Modern
March 16-19
The Mark Hotel
25 E. 77th Street, Suite 215
New York, NY
The Art of Japan will bring to New York and make available for in-person viewing an exceptional array of fine Japanese woodblock prints, including several notable new acquisitions.

Egenolf Gallery Japanese Prints
Prints and Drawings by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861), Master of Graphic Storytelling
March 17-18 and online
Conrad New York Midtown (Private Suite)
151 West 54th Street
New York, NY
Utagawa Kuniyoshi, best known for his warrior prints, was a creative wellspring who designed works of graphic impact in every ukiyo-e genre. Egenolf Gallery will presents his works both in person in New York and online.

Sebastian Izzard LLC
Japanese Paintings and Prints: 1800-1860
March 17-24
17 E. 76th Street, 3rd floor
New York, NY
Celebrating their 25th anniversary, Sebastian Izzard will show exceptional Japanese paintings and prints from the 19th century, including maps, landscapes, dramatic historical tableaux, and studies of the natural world.

Scholten Japanese Art
MULTIPLE MASTERS: Modern Prints and Paintings
Ukiyo-e Woodblock Prints from the Shin Collection
March 16-25
145 W. 58th Street, Suite 6D
New York, NY
Scholten presents two (!) exhibitions this season: prints and paintings by early modern masters and “golden age” figure prints of the late 18th century with magnificent 19th century landscapes from the collection of gallerist Hong Gyu Shin.

Ito Jakuchu, Giant Daruma, late 18th century, hanging scroll, ink on paper, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Gitter-Yelen Collection, gift of Dr. Kurt Gitter and Alice Yelen Gitter

None Whatsoever: Zen Paintings from the Gitter-Yelen Collection,
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Open through May 14

Often playful, sometimes comical, and always profound, Zen paintings represent one of the world’s most fascinating religious and artistic traditions. None Whatsoever features masterworks of Zen Buddhist Japanese paintings from the renowned Gitter-Yelen Collection spanning more than four centuries. Selections from the MFAH collection of modern and contemporary art complement the presentation.

New Orleans–based collectors Kurt Gitter and Alice Yelen Gitter have been deeply engaged in the collecting, understanding, and appreciation of the art of Japan for decades. Many of the works from the Gitter-Yelen Collection were recently acquired by the MFAH.

None Whatsoever explores the origins of Zen Buddhism in Japanese painting through ink paintings and calligraphies by painter-monks, such as 18th-century Buddhist master Hakuin Ekaku, who expressed Zen Buddhist teachings through their art. A related selection of modern and contemporary art influenced by Zen Buddhism features work by Franz Kline, Takahiro Kondo, Robert Motherwell, Ad Reinhardt, and Hiroshi Sugimoto, among others.

Asia Week New York is delighted to welcome the MFAH to our community as a new member.

Read more, including the online catalogue, click here.

Celestial Colors. The Cadle Family Collection of Chinese Monochromes,
Sotheby's New York
Live auction March 21, 2023, 9am

Sotheby’s is delighted to present Celestial Colors. The Cadle Family Collection of Chinese Monochromes. A testament to the collector’s discerning eye and exacting attention paid to quality, condition and provenance, the sale comprises an exceptional spectrum of monochromatic porcelains commissioned for the emperors of China's three greatest dynasties-the Northern Song, Ming and Qing-and includes representative examples of the most iconic Chinese glazes. Amassed mostly in the 1980s and advised closely by J.J. Lally & Co., the collection includes pieces from some of the greatest private collections of Chinese works of art, including the collections of Edward T. Chow, T.Y. Chao and Henry Knight. Highlights of the sale include a superb and extremely rare Xuande mark and period ‘sacrificial red’ bowl, an exceptional Yongzheng mark and period robin’s-egg glazed censer and a large Yongzheng mark and period blue-glazed garlic-neck vase.

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L-R: Buddha on the Cosmic Mountain, Kashmir, circa 715, bronze with silver and copper inlay, The Norton Simon Foundation, Pasadena, CA, F.1972.48.2.S. Photograph courtesy The Norton Simon Foundation; Achala, Tangut Xixia, possibly produced/woven in Dingzhou (Baoding, Hebei Province), early to mid-13th century, kesi silk tapestry with seed pearl, Potala Palace Collection; and Ritual Dance Mask of Guru Dorje Drolo, Bhutan or southern Tibet, circa 19th century, papier-mâché, polychrome, fabric, Bruce Lee Miller Collection. Photo by John Bigelow Taylor

Project Himalayan Art, The Rubin Museum of Art

This monumental initiative, which is now live, is the first project of its kind to offer comprehensive, introductory resources for learning about Himalayan art, with a focus on the cross-cultural exchange of Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian art and cultures. It features an expansive digital platform, traveling exhibition to university museums, and a cross-disciplinary publication featuring essays from 72 international scholars. The new digital platform is a hub to dive into the world of Himalayan art, including for students, teachers, scholars, or visitors looking to expand their understanding of Himalayan art and cultures. It features materials from the traveling exhibition, which opened this month at its first venue, Lehigh University Art Galleries, 108 object essays from the publication (available to pre-order today), videos, 360-degree object views, an interactive map, a glossary of hundreds of definitions, over 1,000 object images, and much more!

Read more, click here

Asia Week Reception to Launch Project Himalayan Art
March 16, 2023, 6-8pm
Celebrate Asia Week New York and the launch of the Rubin Museum’s largest institutional project to date, Project Himalayan Art, with an evening filled with delicious cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, conversation, and a presentation from Rubin Museum Executive Director Jorrit Britschgi and curators Karl Debreczeny and Elena Pakhoutova. This event is by invitation only.

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