Tiger and Magpie (detail), Early 20th century, Artist/Maker unknown (Korea), 2017-136-1
Fantastical Creatures of Asia
Ongoing
Galleries 320 and 321
Fantastical Creatures of Asia brings together works that explore how artists across time and region have imagined the supernatural to express cultural values, spiritual beliefs, and contemporary concerns.
Godawari Dutta’s vibrant Madhubani painting of Vishnu’s ten incarnations and Son Man Jin’s creature-like characters inspired by ancient Chinese seal script show myth and philosophy in visual form. Korean traditions appear in the protective yet satirical pairing of the Tiger and Magpie—an image that has recently inspired globally popular animations – while Ai Weiwei’s heluo fish with ten bodies, reimagined in plastic bricks and bearing the artist’s own face, brings humor and provocation while questioning assumptions about materials and meaning.
Together, these works reveal Asia’s enduring imagination of fantastical beings and the stories they can tell.
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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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