Society for Asian Art Newsletter for Members

Transcription

1 Society for Asian Art Newsletter for Members July - August 2013 No. 4 Sailing Into Summer As the San Francisco Bay Area celebrates hosting the 2013 America s Cup, the Asian Art Museum joins the celebration with an exhibition from the Larry Ellison Collection. His Team Oracle USA won the 33 rd America s Cup in 2010 and defends the Cup this summer. Opening on June 28 In the Moment: Japanese Art from the Larry Ellison Collection features a selection of Japanese scrolls, screens, paintings, textiles and other fine objects displayed to the public for the first time. Shown here are images on a boating theme chosen from the Museum s collection. Most are not on display in the galleries so enjoy this glimpse of them and come to the Museum for this very special show. The Society for Asian Art is a support organization for the

2 IN THIS ISSUE Saturday, July 13 Symposium: In the Moment: Japanese Art from the Larry Ellison Collection Saturday, July 20 Studio Visit with Artist Younhee Paik Thursday, August 1 First Thursday Lecture: Games in the Islamic World and India with Qamar Adamjee Saturday, August 3 Lecture: Cyrus the Great Seen through the Art & Architecture of His Capital, Pasagardae with Sabrina Maras Friday, August 16 Lecture: Cyrus the Great in Western Imagination with Forrest McGill Fridays, August 23 December 6 Arts of Asia Lecture Series Fall 2013 Sunday, September 8 Lecture: New Light on the Cyrus Cylinder with David Stronach Sundays, September 22 October 27 Literature & Culture: Haiku and Haiga: The Writing and Painting of Edo Period Masters with John Wallace UPCOMING EVENTS (subject to change) Thursday, September 5 First Thursday Lecture: Himalayan Jewelry and Color Symbolism with Tamara Wasserman Hill Saturday, September 28 Lecture: Chinese Painting from Tang to Qing with Robert Mowry THE SAA IS NOW A VENDOR OF CSA TRAVEL PROTECTOR INSURANCE It is now quite easy to buy any travel protection insurance by using the CSA policies which are detailed in a brochure that Jim has in the SAA office. Each time you use CSA, the SAA earns a commission which goes into our general fund. Also you can sign up on-line at Or you can call an agent at Please use our Producer Code of so that we get credit. There is a wide range of coverage available, from emergency medical insurance to complete trip cancellation policies. Society for Asia Art July - August No. 4 Members Newsletter Edited by Jeanne Dorward, Jim Frank and Judy Fraschella published bimonthly by: Society for Asian Art 200 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA Copyright 2013 Society for Asian Art Board of Directors President Vice President Vice President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Asst. Treasurer Phyllis Kempner Linda Lei Anne Adams Kahn Maureen Hetzel Jeanne Dorward Edward Baer Mel Hetzel Richard Beleson Eileen Bitten Deborah Clearwaters* Sheila Dowell Vince Fausone Judy Fraschella Elizabeth (BJ) Johnson Sheryln Leong Forrest McGill* David Menke Donald Meyer Julie Kim Nemeth Greg Potts Merrill Randol Coral Reiff Teri Sandison Nazneen Spliedt Lucy Sun Alice Trinkl Kalim Winata Barbara Wirth *ex officio Society Book Sale 2014 Donations for our Annual Book Sale are now accepted throughout the year. If you have any Asian related books on art, culture, travel, cooking or novels, please call the SAA office. If you have a couple of boxes, we will pick them up from your home in the Bay Area! Cover Images: Clockwise from top right: Boats, , colors on pith, China. River landscape with boats, Hanging scroll, Fang Zhaoling, Chinese, The Li River, Hanging scroll, Fang Zhaoling, Chinese, , The Story of the Archer Nasu no Yoichi, from The Tale of the Heike, one of a pair, six panel folding screen, , Japan. Two monks in a lotus petal boat, Qing dynasty, approx , Nephrite. 2

3 ARTS OF ASIA LECTURE SERIES The Culture and Arts of Korea and Early Japan When: Fridays, August 23 December 6 Time: 10:30 am 12:30 pm Place: Samsung Hall Fee: $150 Society members, $175 non-members (for the series after Museum admission); $20 drop-in fee (if space is available) Register now for the Fall semester of the Arts of Asia lecture series: The Culture and Arts of Korea and Early Japan. This popular series will coincide with the third and final year of the training program for museum docents and is expected to sell out quickly. The first eleven lectures will cover the history of Korean culture and art chronologically, ending with an analysis of Korea s exciting contemporary art scene. The last four lectures will examine early Japanese culture and art (with the remaining history of Japanese art to be covered in the Spring 2014 semester). As always, the Arts of Asia lectures will feature a distinguished roster of prominent scholars and curators who will draw on the Museum s impressive collection of Asian art to illustrate their lectures. Ewer with lid. Goryeo dynasty, approx Stoneware with celadon glaze. August 23 Overview of Korean Art Hyonjeong Kim Han, Asian Art Museum August 30 Buddhist Art of Three Kingdoms Korea Minku Kim, University of Minnesota September 6 Later Buddhist Sculpture SunKyung Kim, USC September 13 Goryeo Celadon Ceramics in Context Charlotte Horlyck, SOAS, University of London September 20 Goryeo Metal Crafts: From Luxury Goods to Sacred Offerings Youn-mi Kim, Yale University September 27 Red, White and Blue: Korean Ceramics of the Joseon Dynasty ( ) Robert Mowry, Harvard University October 4 The Impact of Confucianism on Joseon Visual Art Kumja Paik Kim, Asian Art Museum October 11 Joseon Paintings Hyunsoo Woo, Philadelphia Museum of Art October 18 The Structure and Symbolism of Korean Ceremonial Dress: Hwal-ot and Wonsam Minjee Kim, Independent Scholar October 25 18th Century Court Art JaebinYoo, Harvard University November 1 Contemporary Korean Art Joan Kee, University of Michigan November 8 Overview of Japanese Art Laura Allen, Asian Art Museum November 15 Early Japanese Buddhist Sculpture: Conservative and Innovative Trends in the Seventh Century Japan Donald McCallum, UCLA November 22 Nara Buddhist Sculpture Samuel Morse, Amherst College November 29 No Class, Thanksgiving break December 6 Heian Buddhist Sculpture: Assimilating Foreign Trends and Indigenous Beliefs Yui Suzuki, University of Maryland Schedule subject to change. 3

4 MEMBER EVENTS Searching for the Sublime: Visit to Younhee Paik s Studio When: Saturday, July 20 Time: 2:00 pm Place: Younhee Paik Studio, 4030 Reinhardt Drive, Oakland Fee: $15 Society members, $20 non-members (light refreshments will be served) California is a place of strong light and shadow. In India I felt a different sense of culture and spirituality. The light comes from within an object, not from outside it. In the cave temples you see light glow from the Buddha, and it is very peaceful says Younhee Paik Younhee Paik The attributes of Paik s work are reflected by subject and method as her pieces are about transformation and transition between material and spiritual worlds. Her metaphors can be extended on a large unframed canvas or on aluminum plates and the light she uses in various ways signifies the spiritual Beyond the light of heaven. Younhee Paik was educated in Korea and received her MFA from SF Art Institute. Her works have been shown at SFMOMA, San Jose Museum of Art, Incheon Biennale and Gallery Hyundai in Seoul. Cyrus the Great of Persia Seen through the Art & Architecture of his Capital, Pasargadae With Sabrina Maras When: Saturday, August 3 Time: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Place: Education Studios Fee: $15 Society members, $20 non-members (after Museum admission) In 539 BCE Cyrus the Great, an exceptional ruler, took peaceful possession of Babylon a remarkable event that is recorded in both the Babylonian Chronicles and on the Cyrus Cylinder. Dr. Maras will supplement what is known of one of the more interesting rulers of the ancient world through a look at the elegant art and architecture of his capital and last resting place, Pasargadae. Dr. Sabrina Maras earned her doctorate in Ancient Near Eastern Art & Archaeology at UC Berkeley. She has been involved as a researcher on the Persepolis Fortification Archive Project at the Oriental Institute of Chicago. She has taught at UC Berkeley and St. Mary s College and is currently a Visiting Scholar in the Department of Art History, Near East Studies at UC Berkeley. She has published numerous articles on the art of the Persians. Cyrus the Great in Western Imagination With Forrest McGill When: Friday, August 16 Time: 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Place: Samsung Hall Fee: $15 Society members, $20 non-members (after Museum admission) Asian Art Museum s Chief Curator, Forrest McGill, will discuss Cyrus as he is shown in the Bible, in ancient Greek writing, and in European art, literature and music. How did Cyrus become a model of a wise and humane ruler, respected by figures of the Age of Enlightenment such as Thomas Jefferson? A main focus of the talk will be George Frederic Handel s oratorio Belshazzar, which has Cyrus as its hero. The fully illustrated talk will be accompanied by audio and video clips. Forrest McGill is Chief Curator and Wattis Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art at the Asian Art Museum. Cyrus Restores the Vessels of the Temple by Gustave Dore 4

5 MEMBER EVENTS New Light on the Cyrus Cylinder With David Stronach When: Sunday, September 8 Time: 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Place: Samsung Hall Fee: Free public lecture (after Museum admission), co-sponsored with the Education Department New discoveries related to the Cyrus Cylinder continue to be made more than 130 years after its discovery in the ruins of Babylon in These discoveries shed fresh light on the character and concerns of Cyrus. Professor Stronach, who has worked on and studied this archaeological site, will offer new insights on the gardens and monuments of Cyrus, as well as talk about the Oxus treasure and the Gold Armlet in the exhibition. This will provide an opportunity to explore the rare quality of Achaemenid Persian jewelry from the 6 th to 4 th centuries BCE. SYMPOSIUM In the Moment: Japanese Art from the Larry Ellison Collection When: Saturday July 13 Time: 11:00 am 3:30 pm Place: Samsung Hall Fee: $45 (after Museum admission), includes lunch This Symposium is in conjunction with the Asian Art Museum Exhibition of the same name. Topics include selected screens, calligraphy and paintings from the collection. Special subjects feature Emily Sano s experience as curator of the collection and her favorite objects, and Paul Discoe s discussion of the challenges and rewards of building the Ellison residence. Cyrus Cylinder Tomb We kindly request that you register for this free program to ensure your place, as the Museum will also be publicizing it on their website. David Stronach is Professor Emeritus of Near East Studies at UC Berkeley. He is a renowned archaeologist, especially of the area of ancient Iran and Iraq, and a leading expert on Pasargadae, the capital city of Cyrus. Participants on the panel are Emily Sano, Director Emerita of the AAM and Curator of and Advisor to the Larry Ellison Collection of Art; Tomoko Sakomura, Assistant Professor of Art, Swarthmore College; Mathew McKelway, Assistant Professor of the History of Japanese Art, Columbia University; Laura Allen, Curator of Japanese Art, Asian Art Museum; Paul Discoe, Student and Teacher of Zen and Zen Architect, who designed Mr. Ellison s home. Cranes, Edo period ( ), Larry Ellison Collection. MEMBERSHIP New Membership Fees are in effect July 1, 2013 As you know, members renew their annual membership in the month they originally joined SAA. Therefore the new fees and categories will be effective on a rolling schedule during the year as renewals are processed monthly for our almost 600 memberships. You will renew on your current monthly renewal date. To encourage members to consider moving to an Upper Category membership, we are offering all members a one-time opportunity to move to an upper category and not pay the higher fee until your renewal date. Just notify Jim Frank at the SAA office by July 31 of your desire and he will so note your record in our database...and he will ensure you receive invitations to all events scheduled during the year for which you qualify, even if they occur before your renewal date. When your renewal date arrives, you will be billed for the new category fee. 5

6 FIRST THURSDAY LECTURE SERIES Due to the 4 th of July Holiday, this month s First Thursday presentation will be a parade or barbecue of your choice. See you in August! Not Only for Children: Games in the Islamic World and India With Qamar Adamjee When: Thursday, August 1 Time: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Place: Education Studios Fee: $10 (after Museum admission) Leisure activities fulfill more than the simple function of passing time. They respond to other aspects of human consciousness, intellect and creativity. For some, the meaning of life can be translated into the metaphor of a game board and Shakespeare's famous lines may as well be adjusted to read: All the world's a game / and all the men and women merely players: / They have their victories and their defeats, / and one man in his time makes many moves. Buzurjmihr Masters the Game of Chess, Folio from the Shahnama(Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp, ca Iran, Tabriz. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Arthur A. Houghton Jr. This talk will take a brief look at the histories and social and literary contexts from which some of the most popular games of our times, such as chess, backgammon, playing cards, and board games, have arisen and survived. Qamar Adamjee is Associate Curator of South Asian Art at the Asian Art Museum. LITERATURE AND CULTURE OF ASIA Haiku and Haiga: The Writings and Paintings of Edo Period Japanese Masters With John Wallace When: 6 Sundays, September 22 - October 27 Time: 10:15 am - 12:15 pm Place: Education Studios Fee: $100 Society members, $125 non-members (after Museum admission), with additional charge for printed materials Matsuo Basho was considered the greatest haiku master who also painted. Yosa Buson is considered as the second greatest haiku master but Buson is also widely regarded as one of the greatest haiga masters. Haiga is a casual style of painting that includes a related Detail from Oku no hosomichi emaki by Yosa, Buson, haiku next to the image. We will read and discuss Basho s haiku, read his prose work Narrow Road to the Deep North that references Chinese poetry and literature, Japanese Noh drama and the Tale of Heike. We will consider Buson in terms of the Basho Revival movement, his style of haiku, his haiga and skill as a painter. Readings will include haiku by Basho and Buson, Narrow Road, as well as a handful of poems and plays associated with it. John Wallace is a lecturer in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, UC Berkeley. He received his PhD from Stanford University and has taught at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Stanford University. He has taught several literature courses for the SAA previously. 6

7 TRAVEL Chicago, September 9-13, 2013 SAVE THE DATES! Mark your calendars for September 9th when the SAA flies into Chicago for a four-night stay with an optional weekend extension. Arrangements are still being finalized, but we do know that we ll be spending a day at the Chicago Art Institute, visiting two private collections and cruising the Chicago River on an architectural tour of the city. Chinese Painting, Ceramics and Bronzes in London, October 29 - November 7, 2013 An unusual opportunity to visit London with Professor Robert Mowry to view this very important special exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, attend events at Asia Week in London and visit Oxford and Cambridge to see their Chinese and Korean collections, all in the company of Professor Mowry. Deposits will be accepted starting June 28th. See the brochure in this issue for details. Art, Architecture & Crafts of Japan, May 16-27, 2014 This trip will focus on Kyoto, the Miho Museum, studios of well known craftspeople, and other important cultural sites, before moving on to visit Naoshima and Teshima islands and Kanazawa, ending in Osaka. The trip has been confirmed but details are still being finalized. It will be announced in the next newsletter. In the Moment Japanese Art from the Larry Ellison Collection June 28 - September 22, 2013 Contact Information Society for Asian Art Asian Art Museum 200 Larkin Street San Francisco, CA Phone: Fax: saa@societyforasianart.org Web: 7 Left: The battles of Ichinotani and Yashima, from The Tale of the Heike, by Kano Jinnojo (Japanese, active early 1600s), Edo period ( ). Pair of six-panel folding screens; ink, colors, and gold on paper. Right: Waves and rocks, attributed to Hasegawa Togaku (Japanese, d. 1623), Momoyama period ( ) or early Edo period ( ), early 1600s. Pair of sixpanel folding screens; ink, light colors, and gold on paper.

8 REGISTRATION FORM How to Register To Register you may: 1. Go to our website, sign up and pay on-line: 2. Print this registration form and send it with a check to: SAA, 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA Print this registration form and fax it with your credit card information to: OR OR Registration is required for all programs unless otherwise noted. If a program becomes fully enrolled, your payment will be returned. Refunds are granted for cancellations up to one business week before the event and take one or two weeks to process. SAA does not issue tickets or confirmations. You will be contacted ONLY if your registration cannot be completed. Paid Programs Fee Quantity Sub-Total July 13: In the Moment Symposium: Japanese Art from the Larry Ellison Collection $45 July 20: Studio Visit with Artist Younhee Paik $15 Members $20 Non-Members August 1: Games in the Islamic World and India with Qamar Adamjee $10 August 3: Cyrus the Great with Sabrina Maras August 16: Cyrus the Great in Western Imagination with Forrest McGill August 23-December 6: Fall 2013 Arts of Asia Lecture Series September 8: Lecture: New Light on the Cyrus Cylinder with David Stronach September 22 October 27: Haiku and Haiga with John Wallace $15 Members $20 Non-Members $15 Members $20 Non-Members $150 Members $175 Non-Members Complimentary $100 Members $125 Non-Members Name Total Address Zip Code Visa MC Discover \ - - Card Number Expiration Date CCV# (3-digit # on back) Signature

9 THE SOCIETY FOR ASIAN ART PRESENTS CHINESE PAINTING, CERAMICS AND BRONZES IN LONDON OCTOBER 29 NOVEMBER 7, 2013 WITH PROFESSOR ROBERT MOWRY P resenting one of the world s greatest artistic traditions, Masterpieces of Chinese Painting at the Victoria and Albert Museum, will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see rare surviving works of art drawn from collections around the world. Explore over 70 of the finest examples of Chinese painting, from small-scale intimate works by monks and literati through to a 14 meter-long scroll painting, many of which are shown together for the first time. In addition to two visits to the Victoria and Albert Museum accompanied by Dr. Mowry, we will enjoy other exhibitions, talks and gallery visits which have been organized as part of Asian Art in London week. A final highlight will include a visit with Dr. Mowry to Sotheby s to view a collection of ancient bronzes from the renowned Compton Verney collection. Synopsis of the Tour LONDON Nine nights at The Montague on the Gardens hotel Accompanied by Dr. Mowry, enjoy two visits to Masterpieces of Chinese Painting The exhibition will bring together the finest examples of Chinese painting from the beginning of the 8 th to the end of the 19 th century Visit the British Museum with Dr. Mowry to view the Sir Percival David collection of Chinese ceramics Enjoy many lectures, gallery visits and exhibitions which are part of the Asian Art in London week Enjoy a full-day excursion to Cambridge with Dr. Mowry Northern Song period, first quarter 12 th century, Ru ware: British Museum, London, Sir Percival David Collection Accompanied by Dr. Mowry, visit Giuseppe Eskenazi s gallery to see wares from the Song period, porcelain from the Qing and Ming dynasties and Tang period tomb sculptures Enjoy a full-day excursion with Dr. Mowry to Oxford and visit Oxford s Ashmolean Museum Viewing at Sotheby s with Dr. Mowry to see the special exhibition of Chinese bronze ritual vessels from the Compton Verney collection. SAA is now a vendor of CSA Travel Protection Insurance Producer code: You are able to purchase trip insurance which will repay all non-refundable costs for cancelling this trip for ANY reason. This must be purchased at the time of your initial deposit.

10 Accompanied by Dr. Robert Mowry, spend nine nights in London where we have planned a program around the Masterpieces of Chinese Painting exhibit that opens at the Victoria and Albert Museum on October 26, Curator Zhang Hongxing had planned this exhibition for two years, before borrowing the masterpieces from 20 museums in not only China, but also Japan, the United States, Sweden, France, and Germany. The exhibition will be organized chronologically and thematically in six successive periods to chart the evolving styles and subject of painting. We will visit the exhibit twice. The morning of each visit will begin with a short lecture from Dr. Mowry, who will also give a third lecture prior to viewing a special exhibition of important Chinese bronzes, lent by the Compton Verney collection for presentation at Sotheby s. This is an exhibition only, bronzes are not for sale. A full day excursion to Cambridge will include a visit to the Asian galleries at the Fitzwilliam Museum and an excursion to Oxford will focus on the refurbished Asian galleries at the Ashmolean. Dr. Mowry will accompany the group to the British Museum to view the Sir Percival David Collection of Chinese ceramics newly installed at the British Museum as well as the Korean ceramics. Our trip has been scheduled to take advantage of the annual Asian Art in London week and we will provide a full listing of all the exhibits, lectures and gallery talks that will be offered. We have planned for one completely free day for independent visits. Chinese Painting, Ceramics and Bronzes in London $5,280 PER PERSON SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT $1.960 The tour cost includes: Accommodations for nine nights at The Montague on the Gardens hotel, ideally located in the heart of Bloomsbury Meals as listed in the program with bottled water All sightseeing and entrances listed One week (seven consecutive days) Travel Card for unlimited u use on London s underground in zones 1-3 Air-conditioned bus for two excursions outside of London Dr. Robert Mowry will accompany the trip All gratuities and porterage at hotels A $400 donation to the Society for Asian Art Not Included are: International airfares to and from London Passport fees Drinks other than water with meals Laundry and communication (phone, fax and internet) charges Personal insurance for health, baggage, and trip cancellation Items of a purely personal nature Any items not listed For more information or a detailed itinerary, call Distant Horizons at (800) ; or the Society for Asian Art at (415) This trip will be led by Dr. Robert Mowry. Recently retired after more than twenty five years as a senior curator at the Harvard Art Museums, Robert D. Mowry was Alan J. Dworsky Curator of Chinese Art and Head of the Department of Asian Art ( ); he continues to serve as Senior Lecturer on Chinese and Korean Art in Harvard s Department of the History of Art and Architecture. Robert Mowry previously served as the founding Curator of the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3 rd Collection at the Asia Society, New York ( ), and, before that, as Assistant Curator of Oriental Art at Harvard s Fogg Art Museum ( ). His two years work as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Republic of Korea ( ) sparked his interest in Asian art and culture. He spent two years as a curatorial assistant and translator in the Department of Painting and Calligraphy at the National Palace Museum, Taipei ( ). A specialist in Chinese art (particularly of painting, ceramics, and jades of the Song, Yuan, and Ming periods), he also does research on Korean paintings and ceramics. THE SOCIETY FOR ASIAN ART PRESENTS: CHINESE PAINTING, CERAMICS AND BRONZES IN LONDON R E S E R V A T I O N F O R M I would like to reserve space(s) for the CHINESE PAINTINGS, CERAMICS AND BRONZES IN LONDON TOUR Enclosed is a deposit of $500 per person, in the total amount of $. Please make checks payable to Distant Horizons. Your deposit is refundable up to 90 days prior to departure less a $250 per person administration fee. CHECKS WILL BE ACCEPTED STARTING JUNE 28 AT 10AM ON A FIRST COME FIRST SERVED BASIS Room Arrangements Single Supplement Double Occupancy, I will be sharing a room with: I would prefer a roommate, but will pay the single supplement if one is not available. Travel Arrangements I/we would like Distant Horizons to assist with flights to London I/we will make my own travel arrangements to London I/we would like additional nights to be booked at the hotel. Please specify dates Personal Information Last Name First Name Address City, State, Zip Daytime Phone ( ) Address Send application to: the Society for Asian Art, 200 Larkin Street, San Francisco, CA A confirmation letter, a declaration & waiver form and a travel insurance application will be mailed to you upon receipt of your deposit. CST: D IFFICULTY L EVEL: MEDIUM This trip will spend considerable time in museums and will require being able to be on your feet for extended period of times. On several occasions we will be using London s underground to get around and this sometimes involves walking for minutes and using escalators. This trip is not suitable for those who have mobility problems.