Asia Society and Museum USA | New York |
Upper East Side
March 08,
2016- Jan. 08, 2017
On the
occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the founding of Asia Society, this
exhibition celebrates the legacy of collecting and exhibiting Asian art that
John D. Rockefeller 3rd (1906–1978) and Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller
(1909–1992) set in motion for Asia Society. Even when taken out of their
original cultural contexts these artworks can serve as a conduit for sharing
the talent, skill, imagination, and deep history of the peoples of Asia. In
this exhibition, historical and contemporary works are juxtaposed to trigger
more informed and distinctive ways of thinking about the artworks, their
creators, and how they are displayed.
Before John
D. Rockefeller 3rd established Asia Society in 1956, he had been deeply
involved with the arts and culture of Asia. Rockefeller firmly believed that
art was an indispensable tool for understanding societies, especially in Asia,
and thus made culture central to the new multidisciplinary organization that
would encompass all aspects and all parts of Asia. From 1963 to 1978, the
Rockefellers worked with art historian Sherman E. Lee (1918–2008) as an advisor
to build their collection. Together they assembled a group of spectacular
historical works—including sculpture, painting, and decorative arts from East,
Southeast, and South Asia, and the Himalayas—that became the core of the Asia
Society collection of traditional art. This collection is distinguished by the
high proportion of acclaimed masterpieces, to which additional high quality
gifts and acquisitions have been added since the original bequest to Asia
Society.
As a
complement to these holdings, Asia Society inaugurated a collection of
contemporary Asian and Asian American art in 2007. While the traditional
collection began with a desire to create a better understanding among cultures,
the impetus for the Museum’s collection of innovative new media art was to
broaden the understanding of Asia’s artistic production through works that
demonstrate a savvy, and nuanced understanding of advances in new technologies,
many of which were first developed in Asia. Using video, photography, and other
new media, contemporary artists from Asia and the diaspora have been able to
respond to the shifting sociopolitical, economic, and cultural changes that are
occurring across the region. The joining together of these facets of Asia
Society’s inimitable collection showcases the breadth and depth of creative
expression across Asia. Moreover it reflects the rich and diverse cultural
history of the region and highlights how elements of the past continue to be
present in much of today’s art.
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