Featuring Selections from the National Museum of History, Taiwan and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
October 1, 2011-February 19, 2012
San Antonio Museum of Art
200 West Jones Avenue San Antonio, Texas 78215
(210) 9788100
www.samuseum.org
Curator: John Johnston
This major international exhibition organized by the San Antonio Museum of Art examines the art historical importance of jade in Chinese culture. Ninety jade objects spanning the Neolithic period to the 19th century will be included in the exhibition. Most of the jade objects included in the exhibition will be on loan from the National Museum of History in Taipei, Taiwan. The exhibition, titled 5,000 Years of Chinese Jade Featuring Selections from the National Museum of History, Taiwan and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, is organized by John Johnston, SAMA's Coates-Cowden-Brown Curator of Asian Art. Mr. Johnston has worked closely with colleagues at the prestigious National Museum of History in Taipei in developing this important survey of Chinese jade.
5,000 Years of Chinese Jade offers a stunning visual journey through themes and time periods important in the history of jade in China. The exhibition will be chronologically in five main periods: Neolithic, Shang to Zhou dynasty, Han to Tang dynasty, Liao to Ming dynasties, and the Qing dynasty. Primary subjects and themes in the exhibition are weapons, objects, adornments and jewellery, and vessels. Most of the jade items borrowed from Taiwan for this exhibition will be on view for the first time in America.
An important partner in 5,000 Years of Chinese Jade is the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution. The Sackler Gallery forms part of America's National Museum of Asian Art. Twenty-five important jade works of art from the Sackler Galleries will complement the material on loan from the National Museum of History, Taiwan.
5,000 Years of Chinese Jade will have a strong educational component that will complement Taiwan-focused programming presented by the Office of Cultural Affairs and other local organizations throughout the year. Public programs such as traditional Chinese music performances, lectures, and films will present diverse aspects of Chinese culture. SAMA's trained guides will lead tours through the exhibition for audiences of various ages, including school groups.
5,000 Years of Chinese Jade represents a major moment in the study and presentation of Chinese jade in the United States. Though jade is a subject of strong interest to scholars and collectors, there have been very few exhibitions on jade in recent years. The exhibition also coincides with Taiwan's centennial celebration,? Taiwan: Splendid for One Hundred? in San Antonio. In addition to 5,000 Years of Chinese Jade, a wide variety of visual and performing arts from Taiwan will be showcased in San Antonio throughout the year. This exhibition will help familiarize the American public with the sophistication and grandeur of traditional Chinese culture.
In conjunction with the exhibition, SAMA will produce a full-color catalogue featuring scholarly essays. The exhibition catalogue will be an important new resource for the study of Chinese jade and will include an essay by Mr. John Johnston, Dr. Lai-Pik Chan, and Ms. Shwu-Shin Lin, Curator Emeritus for Jade at the National Museum of History, Taipei.