Heavenly King Virudhaka, 1368–1644. China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644). 1918.544

UPCOMING FALL EXHIBITION

Demons, Ghosts, and Goblins in Chinese Art

September 8, 2024 – January 19, 2025

Demons, ghosts, and goblins feature in Chinese art as creatures that either bring harm or ward off evil spirits. This exhibition presents 20 sculptures and paintings of secular and religious subject matter from a private collection and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The show explores the stories in which they appear and the supernatural power that they exert.

Aimee Lee (American), Phloem, 2023, beaten and laced paper mulberry bark, and thread, 55 x 56 x 3 in. (139.7 x 142.2 x 7.6 cm); Private collection © Aimee Lee; Photo: Stefan Hagen

Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution

April 28 – October 13, 2024

Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution is a compelling story about the history and transformative legacy of Korean fashion. The first of its kind at the Cleveland Museum of Art, this exhibition presents approximately 30 works, plus accompanying ephemera, ranging from excavated 17th-century aristocratic garments to contemporary Korean couture by leading and emerging designers, including André Kim (1935–2010); Lie Sang Bong (b. 1954); Lee Chung Chung (b. 1978), for LIE; Lee Jean Youn (b. 1978); and Shin Kyu Yong (b. 1988) and Park Ji Sun (b. 1988), for Blindness. Through juxtaposing historical and contemporary ensembles, this exhibition recounts the definition of “couture” from an inclusive perspective, amplifying how tradition has empowered contemporary Korean fashion designers to invent a new artistic language.

Past Related Program:

Zoom Lunchtime Lecture: Korean Couture and Its Legacy
Tuesday, May 7,  12-1pm
Free Registration

In conjunction with their newly opened exhibition,  Korean Couture: Generations of Revolution, the first show on Korean fashion at the CMA, the exhibition’s co-curators, Sooa McCormick, Korea Foundation Curator of Korean Art, and Darnell-Jamal Lisby, assistant curator of fashion, introduce the dynamic, innovative trajectory of Korean style from 17th-century aristocratic clothing to contemporary couture by South Korean trailblazing fashion designers who are shaping fashion’s future.

Into the Seven Jeweled Mountain: An Immersive Experience

March 15 – September 29, 2024

Journey into the Seven Jeweled Mountain, surrounded by vivid animation inspired by a 19th-century folding screen that illustrates the mountain’s striking scenery. Just outside the immersive experience see the artwork it is inspired by, on view 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, hike amid swiftly changing weather, unique geological features, and breathtaking vistas in a rare opportunity to discover a place beyond reach. Visitors are encouraged to relax in the exhibition space, immersed in the mountain’s sublime sights and sounds, with a soundtrack by the globally acclaimed composer Yang Bang-ean as the 10-minute experience washes over them.

From Dreaming to Hiking: Korean Landscape Paintings

March 1 – September 29, 2024

Whether depicting imaginary, idealized terrain or actual geographic and historical sites, Korean landscape paintings are celebrated for their dynamic artistic vocabulary. Natural locations known for awe-inspiring topographic features became the most beloved subjects, but artists also created fictional landscapes that serve as an inspiration to attain a way of life in perfect harmony with nature, as seen in Winter Landscape and Mountain Market, Clear with Rising Mist from the CMA’s collection. Coupled with the digital immersive exhibition Into the Seven Jeweled Mountain in the Arlene M. and Arthur S. Holden Textile Gallery (gallery 234), From Dreaming to Hiking explores this Korean landscape painting tradition wherein nature becomes an important dimension of human experience.

Six Dynasties of Chinese Painting

November 10, 2023 – 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 Chinese collection.

Babur receives booty and Humayun’s salute after the victory over Sultan Ibrahim in 1526, from an Akbar-nama (Book of Akbar) of Abu’l Fazl (Indian, 1551–1602), c. 1596–1597 or 1604. India, Mughal court, made for Emperor Akbar. 2013.308

Carpets and Canopies in Mughal India

March 22 – September 8, 2024

Carpets and canopies designated portable courtly spaces among nomadic groups, such as the Mongols and Turks of Central Asia. The Mughals of India, who were of Mongol and Turkic descent, continued to use carpets and canopies to mark royal presence. Even when the Mughals settled in permanent stone structures, a special carpet signaled the window (jharokha in the Mughal court language of Persian) where the populace could see and petition the emperor from below. Other regional rulers all over India soon adopted the use of the jharokha carpet to locate other members of a royal household. Mughal carpets were not meant to be walked on; instead, they functioned more like furniture, as seats of honor. They also created an intimate space where courtly pleasures were enjoyed. Using silk or pashmina—fine wool yarn made from the coats of Himalayan goats—intricate floral patterns on Mughal carpets evoke the luxury of a garden of paradise. Many of the patterns originated in paintings or manuscript illuminations. In the Mughal court of India, painters worked alongside carpet weavers and textile artists, who used dyed yarns as painters used pigments. The swirling floral vines with a central lobed medallion testify to an ongoing appreciation of Persian design. After the 1620s, Mughal artists in India began making carpets and textiles featuring individual flowering plants regularly spaced over a plain ground. Both the Persian and Mughal floral aesthetic continue to be influential in textile designs internationally.

Shahzia Sikander: Collective Behavior

February 14 – June 8, 2025

Shahzia Sikander: Collective Behavior premiered at the Palazzo Soranzo van Axel in Venice where it is on view April 20–October 20, 2024. Co-organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cincinnati Art Museum, Collective Behavior is a Collateral Event of the 60th International Art Exhibition—La Biennale di Venezia and is the most comprehensive presentation of the artist’s work to date. In conjunction with the Venice exhibit, we presents Sikander’s art in relation to South Asian objects from the museum’s collection that have inspired her. This exhibition offers a narrative that the CMA is uniquely suited to share: it carries forward in time the rich histories that are encompassed in the museum’s renowned South Asian collection. Simultaneously, it situates contemporary artistic practice in relation to the global history that precedes it. The Cincinnati Art Museum concurrently offers a comprehensive presentation of the artist’s career to date. 

Contemporary Calligraphy and Clay

June 7, 2024 – June 15, 2025

Calligraphy and ceramics are two major art forms in Japanese culture. They have historically been appreciated together, often paired in spaces called tokonoma, or simply toko, a term that can be translated as “display alcove.” For centuries, people have hung calligraphy or paintings on the wall of a toko and placed ceramics, lacquers, or metalworks on the deck to create a particular mood for an occasion. Traditional reception rooms, living rooms, guest rooms, and teahouses, places where people hold small, significant gatherings, often feature toko. While toko are less common in newer architectural structures due to various factors, including limited space and a shift away from floor culture, today’s artists continue to create with them in mind but also increasingly envision new environments for their works. This installation considers the bond of calligraphy and clay through contemporary artworks set in the modern space of the museum gallery.

To learn more about all these exhibitions and more, click here.