NEWLY OPENED EXHIBITION
Origin of Life, 2011, by Mayank Shyam (Indian, born 1987). © Mayank Shyam
Legendary Futures
Through March 31, 2027
Gallery 321
The five works in this exhibition showcase contemporary visions of extraordinary creatures. Paintings by Bhajju Shyam and Ram Singh Uruveti narrate specific long-shared stories of the Gond communities of India recast through a contemporary lens. Other pieces by Jangarh Singh Shyam, Mayank Shyam, and Ai Weiwei portray marvelous animal life by layering the mythology of India and China onto present-day artistic practices. All this work proves the timelessness of activating the imagination—of the artists and we, the viewers—to envision multiple fantastic futures full of curious, dynamic, and exciting legends.
Curators: Hiromi Kinoshita, The Hannah L. and J. Welles Henderson Curator of Chinese Art and Katherine Anne Paul, The Stella Kramrisch Curator of Indian and Himalayan Art
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ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
Cabinet with design of Plants of the Four Seasons and Mount Fuji, 19th century, Artist/maker unknown, 1916-237
Japan at the World’s Fairs
Ongoing
Main Building, Galleries 341-343
World’s fairs have been an important stage for Japan to present itself globally as a progressive nation at several turning points in its early modern and modern ages. Japan’s first official participation in a world’s fair at the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris took place the year before the dissolution of the country’s feudal system. At the subsequent 1873 Vienna, 1876 Philadelphia, 1893 Chicago, and 1904 St Louis expositions, Japan under the Meiji-government was one of the nations who showed the largest number of items. In the postwar era, Japan was the first Asian country to host a world’s fair in 1970. In 2025, Japan hosted the Expo 2025 in Osaka.
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial – and the inception of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Japanese collection – the installation “Japan at the World’s Fairs” features Japanese objects from the museum’s collection, including ceramics, lacquerware, metalwork, and sculpture. These items were either exhibited at one of the aforementioned world’s fairs or are close examples of items that were on exhibit. One section shows video footage of the Expo 2025 in Osaka, bringing the presentation into the 21st century.
Curated by Xiaojin Wu, Luther W. Brady Curator of Japanese Art.
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Musicians on Horseback, 7th century, made in China, 1923-21-146–150
Chinese Galleries
Rediscover four thousand years of the art of China in our Chinese galleries. Go deeper into the stories behind the objects, grouped thematically in four eye-opening sections: Belief in the Afterlife, Nature and Self-Cultivation, Exchanges with the West, and Order in the Imperial Court.
The new installation features recently conserved works, improved lighting, and a wide variety of objects, including a stunning collection of costumes and textiles, photographs, and contemporary art on view together for the first time.
In gallery 335, a series of plates by contemporary Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei comments on the forced migration of millions of people during the recent global refugee crisis. The artist can relate to feelings of displacement—the artist and his family were exiled to western China during the Cultural Revolution of 1966–76.
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Collection Highlight: Temple Hall
The more than sixty carved granite elements that comprise this monumental space were collected by Philadelphian Adeline Pepper Gibson during a visit in 1912 to Madurai, a city in the south of India known for its spectacular Hindu temples. Debuting to the public in the museum’s original home at Memorial Hall in 1920, the mandapam opened at its current location in 1940. Although a reconstruction, it incorporates many original architectural elements and provides visitors with a unique opportunity to experience the extraordinary synthesis of sculpture, architecture, and symbol that characterizes South India’s elaborate temple form.
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Arts of the Islamic World
Islam began over 1,400 years ago in the Arabian Peninsula and soon spread across Asia, Africa, and Europe. Today Muslims live on every continent and make up a quarter of the world’s population. The term “Islamic Art” refers to a variety of artwork made by and for Muslims over the centuries. Here are some exquisite examples drawn from the museum’s collection.
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Collection Highlight: Ceremonial Teahouse
The name of this teahouse, Sunkaraku (Evanescent Joys), reflects the spirit of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony as a temporary refuge from the complexities of daily life. The architecture reveals a special delight in natural materials, such as bamboo and cedar. Using elements from an eighteenth-century teahouse, Ōgi Rodō designed this retreat around 1917 for the grounds of his Tokyo home. Acquired by the museum from the architect in 1928, this is the only example of his work outside Japan.
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