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Asia
Responsive Grants
Recent Grants
Luce Archaeology Initiative
Luce Archaeology Initiative
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Current and Upcoming Exhibitions
The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army
National Geographic Museum, Washington, DC
November 19, 2009 - March 31, 2010
Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, TX
May 22, 2009 - September 27, 2009
High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA
November 16, 2008 – April 19, 2009
The unearthing in China in 1974 of an army of life-size terracotta warriors in the tomb complex of Qin Shihuangdi, China’s first emperor (r. 221-210 BC), dazzled the world. Although the tomb site, covering 56 square kilometers on the outskirts of present day Xi’an, was described in historical records dating back two millennia, the extent of the underground complex and the existence of the terracotta army had been previously unknown. Qin Shihuangdi is recognized as the first emperor because, through conquest of the kingdoms surrounding his own kingdom of Qin, he first created the unified empire that has survived essentially uninterrupted until today, as China.
In addition to featuring 20 of the well known terracotta soldiers, the largest number ever to travel outside of China, the exhibition displays other artifacts from the site, many excavated in the last decade. The objects, including bronze bells and statues of water birds, food vessels, weights and measures, weapons, armor and sculpture, bring new perspectives on this formative period of Chinese history.
Arts of Ancient Vietnam: From River Plain to Open Sea
Asia Society, New York, NY
February 2 – May 2, 2010
Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Houston, TX
September 29 - Jan. 3, 2009
A long, coastal plain facing the South China Sea, Vietnam developed unique art through connections to China, India and other cultures of Southeast Asia. Arts of Ancient Vietnam examines the country’s role as a hub of cultural and commercial interchange from the prehistoric period through the 18th century, prior to French Colonial rule. It features over 100 objects from Vietnam’s national and provincial museums, including burial jars, bronze ritual drums and other bronze artifacts, jewelry in gold and precious stones, stone sculpture and ceramics.
Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
February 25 – September 11, 2011
The first large-scale exhibition solely devoted to Balinese arts and culture in the United States, Bali: Art, Ritual, Performance will showcase approximately 150 artworks drawn from museum collections in the U.S. and the Netherlands and place them in the context of Balinese ritual and performance. Visiting tukang banten (offering makers) will create the ritual offerings central to Balinese religion and society, showing how objects are used in ceremonies and artistic practices. Performances and films encompassing dance, drama, shadow puppetry and music will highlight the ways in which the Balinese integrate art objects, performance and ritual. Visitors will learn not only about Balinese art, history, religious beliefs, and cultural traditions, but also about their integration into daily life. At the same time, the exhibition includes an examination of Bali’s interaction with the West, which has led to artistic collaborations and innovations.
Past Exhibitions
Steeped in History: The Art of Tea
Fowler Museum at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
August 16-November 29, 2009
This large-scale exhibition examined the cultural and historical significance of tea as seen through the arts of Asia, Europe and North America. The exhibition featured 140 objects (paintings, screens, ceramics, tea paraphernalia, textiles, photographs, political satire, advertising and historical documents) drawn from some 40 museums and private collections, to tell the story of tea from its origins in China and influence in Japan to its eventual impact on Europe and America. It traced the expansion of the tea trade to a global scale at the height of the colonial era, beginning with the Anglo-Chinese conflict and the transition of tea production to colonial India, and linked these events to contemporary issues such as the “fair trade” movement.
Power and Glory: Court Arts of China’s Ming Dynasty
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA
June 27-September 21, 2008
Power and Glory travelled to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (October 26, 2008 - January 11, 2009) and the St. Louis Art Museum (February 21 - May 17, 2009).
Ming, meaning “bright,” was chosen as the name for what became China’s last native-ruled imperial dynasty, which was established in 1368 when Han Chinese rebels overthrew the Mongol rulers of the Yuan Dynasty. The 276 years of Ming rule, which came to an end in 1644 when Manchu invaders overtook Beijing, were marked by political stability, economic strength and vibrant arts.
This exhibition devoted to the court arts of the Ming Dynasty of China displayed more than 200 objects reflecting themes of architecture and the court environment; official court life; religion and ritual; the court at leisure; and science and technology. Artworks from Chinese museum collections, including paintings, jades, textiles, lacquer and porcelains, were paired with recently excavated artifacts from the imperial shipyards and tombs of the aristocracy.
Bon: The Magic Word
Rubin Museum of Art
October 5, 2007 through April 14, 2008
This exhibition explored the richness of Bon culture, art and spiritual traditions. The Bon faith is said to have originated several thousand years ago in Central Asia, from whence it spread east, eventually arriving in the Himalayan region prior to the advance of Buddhism onto the Tibetan Plateau in the 7th century. Practitioners of Bon are made up of many ethnicities and language groups, including Tibetans, Nepalese, the Naxi of southwest China, and the Kinnauri of North India. Co-curators Jeff Watt and Samten Karmay selected works of art and material artifacts from the Rubin Museum of Art and other collections to introduce the Bon culture and religion, including Bon founders and teachers, deities, sacred geography, expressions of culture, and aesthetics.
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