SPRING 2026 Editorial

IT IS MY great pleasure to publish this Arts of Asia Spring 2026 issue, which highlights Asian art at important museums in the United States of America. I am delighted again to have collaborated with Dr Liu Yang, Chair of Asian Art and Curator of Chinese Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), to feature an interview with Dr Katie Luber, Director and President of Mia, as well as print four articles: bronze gong ritual wine vessels from the late Shang dynasty (circa 1300–1046 BC); Chinese fan painting from the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) to the Qing dynasty (1644–1911); the theme of skeletons in Japanese art (prints, paintings, screens, textiles and sculpture); and beautiful Rajput paintings (16th–19th century) at the Mia.

The magazine also contains articles from the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cincinnati Art Museum on two topical exhibitions, each dedicated to an aspect of Pahari paintings from the 17th to the 19th century, produced in the courts of the Northwest Himalayas. In addition, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art will present “Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India’s Himalayan Kingdoms”. These special exhibitions celebrate the new publication, Pahari Painting: Art and Stories, an in-depth study of the innovation and range of Pahari painting that draws from the Catherine Glynn Benkaim and Ralph Benkaim Collection held at these three institutions.

Dr John T. Carpenter, Mary Griggs Burke Curator of Japanese Art, has written an informative article, “Harry Packard’s Eye for Japanese Painting: His Collection Sold to The Met in 1975”, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s landmark acquisition of the Harry G.C. Packard Collection and its current exhibition, “The Infinite Artistry of Japanese Ceramics”, which is on view until August 8th, 2027. Curated by Monika Bincsik, Diane and Arthur Abbey Curator for Japanese Decorative Arts at The Met, the exhibition traces more than 13,000 years of ceramic artistry in Japan—from its Neolithic origins to the country’s dynamic contemporary art scene.

The exhibition presents approximately 350 works in three rotations, drawn mostly from The Met collection, focusing on works from the Harry G.C. Packard Collection. Dr Bincsik said: “It is an exciting opportunity to present an exhibition on Japanese ceramics that encompasses a wide range of subjects and a long historical span—the first of its kind in the Arts of Japan Galleries. Many of the works have rarely, if ever, been displayed, making it a pleasure to highlight and rediscover our permanent collection.”

Two masterworks mentioned in John Carpenter’s article on Japanese paintings in the Packard Collection at The Met— the Old Plum sliding-door paintings by Kano Sansetsu, and the Chinese Lions screens by Hanabusa Itchō—will be on view in the Arts of Japan Galleries during Asia Week New York 2026.

We also have an incisive review of China’s 1800s: Material and Visual Culture, edited by Jessica Harrison-Hall and published by The British Museum, as well as an informative Saleroom News from the very successful auctions at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. Our Collectors World section features an interesting article on the Tibetan rug and textile collection formed by Thomas Murray, which has now joined Mia’s celebrated “Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room: The Alice S. Kandell Collection”. I hope all our readers will enjoy the superb content in this special edition.

Asia Week New York takes place from March 19th to 27th, 2026. This highly anticipated event will feature curated exhibitions from world-renowned dealers, live auctions and expert-led panel discussions. This year’s programming marks the first year under the new leadership of Alice Teng, Executive Director, and Margi Gristina, Chairperson. Each has extensive experience and expertise in the field of Asian art, so this is an exciting new chapter for Asia Week New York. For this Editorial, we have an interesting selection of highlights from some of the participating galleries.

In November 2025, after two years of anticipation, Sotheby’s proudly opened its new galleries inside the legendary Breuer building on Madison Avenue. The Breuer is an architectural landmark and will now become one of the world’s premier destinations to view fine art and luxury objects. I expect it will be an amazing experience attending Sotheby’s Asian art sales at this historic location.

I am also greatly looking forward to visiting the brand new Bonhams headquarters at 111 West 57th Street in New York. Seth Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, Bonhams, said: “This move is not simply a change of address—it’s a bold statement of ambition for our company as we continue to grow in the US market. Our new flagship will stand at the heart of Manhattan’s cultural corridor, opposite Carnegie Hall… Spanning 42,000 square feet, the purpose-built galleries include a soaring 80 foot glass exhibition hall that allows us to showcase works of greater scale than ever before.”

Orientations Gallery will be showing privately by appointment, as their long-standing exhibition venue at The Nippon Club transitions to a highly anticipated space on Fifth Avenue in Rockefeller Center next year. Recent acquisitions include a collection of jewel-tone enamelled silver objects: vases, censers and boxes.

The University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, held the exhibition, “Japanese Jewels: Imperial Silver Bonbonnières”, from November 5th, 2025 to February 8th, 2026. It was most gratifying to see my collection of precious boxes beautifully presented in a museum setting. I would sincerely like to thank Ambassador Miura Jun, Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong, for his wonderful speech at the opening ceremony. I would also like to thank Dr Florian Knothe and his dedicated team for their hard work and excellent research.

Forming this collection has provided an enormous sense of satisfaction, and I am very proud of our achievement. I hope that other museums around of the world will in the future also present exhibitions on the same subject matter. Not only are imperial silver bonbonnières exquisitely made, but they are also of great historical and cultural importance because of their link to the imperial family. These artworks are a window into Japan’s rich history; beautifully crafted, they showcase the incredible talent and creativity of Japanese artisans.

Finally, many thanks to Arts of Asia readers and friends for your continued support. I would like to wish you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous Year of the Horse.

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