IN A GLOBAL FIRST, a major new exhibition at the British Museum showcases the resilience and creativity of China in the 19th century. The Citi exhibition, “China’s hidden century”, from May 18th to October 8th, 2023, will illuminate a pivotal period in China’s history—one that forms a crucial bridge to the modern nation of today.
This is the first exhibition to focus on individual groups of people in 19th century China. Visitors will experience the visual richness of this era through the material culture of multiple sections of society—the court, the military, artists and writers, farmers and city dwellers, globalised communities of merchants, scientists and diplomats, reformers and revolutionaries. The show consists of 300 objects, half from the British Museum, half borrowed from thirty different British and international lenders, with most being displayed publicly for the first time.
In the late 19th century, in response to foreign incursions and the Taiping Civil War, the Chinese authorities launched a far-reaching, multifaceted quest for modernity. Survivors of the country’s dislocations, from many social classes and economic groups, demonstrated extraordinary resourcefulness, both driving and embracing cultural and technological change in painting and politics, war and craft, literature and fashion.
The exhibition is the result of a four-year research project supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, led by the British Museum and University of London. The show was made possible thanks to the collaboration of more than 100 scholars from fourteen countries. Jessica Harrison-Hall, Head of the China Section, Curator of the Sir Percival David Collection, Chinese Ceramics and Decorative Arts at the British Museum, explained: “In this show we have sought to highlight the creativity and resilience demonstrated by so many citizens of Qing China amid exceptionally hard times. Our aim was to celebrate the contributions of remarkable individuals. Putting the show together has been a huge collaborative effort and it has been wonderful and inspiring to work with so many scholars, collectors, designers and students.”
Arts of Asia is proud to collaborate with the British Museum for our special Summer 2023 issue, and I would like to thank Jessica Harrison-Hall and all the distinguished authors for their outstanding articles. I would also like to mention that a two-day conference, “China’s 1800s—Material and Visual Culture”, will be held on June 8th and 9th, 2023 at the British Museum BP lecture theatre. This event will offer participants a chance to hear from more than thirty speakers about the material and visual culture of the last century of imperial China. There will be four sessions each day and the conference will conclude with a Peking Opera performance.
After a three-year absence, I was delighted to return to New York in March for Asia Week. It felt like the good old days were back, with many collectors and curators in attendance. Visitors from China came in large numbers thanks to the recent relaxation in travel restrictions, which resulted in the strongest sales since before the pandemic (for further information, see the Saleroom News in this issue). Curators from more than three dozen museums from all over the US and abroad made the rounds of the galleries and were active buyers. Dessa Goddard, Chairman of Asia Week New York, commented: “This March, increasing levels of international travel by scholars and colleagues from around the globe demonstrated once again what a powerful magnet New York City is for all of us who value celebrating our love for Asian art with our colleagues and friends. We congratulate our members’ brilliant successes this week and look forward to sponsoring an exciting year of activities leading up to our 15th anniversary in 2024.”
To celebrate this great week of exhibitions, auctions and events, a gala reception, co-hosted by Asia Week New York and the Asian Art Department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, took place at The Met. Andrea Bayer, Deputy Director for Collections and Administration, Dessa Goddard, Chairman of Asia Week New York, and Mike D. Hearn, the Douglas Dillon Chairman of the Department of Asian Art, welcomed the ebullient crowd of some 600 guests, comprising international collectors, curators, gallery owners and scholars, who packed the imposing Great Hall.
I had a wonderful time catching up with old friends, visiting excellent art gallery exhibitions and attending the exciting auctions. “It was very successful as far as sales and foot traffic were concerned”, said Eric Zetterquist, the owner of Zetterquist Galleries, which specialises in Chinese objects dating to the 14th century and earlier. Eric reported that two-thirds of “The Mary and Cheney Cowles Collection of Chinese Ceramics” sold. “It was wall-to-wall people every day, all day long, with many visitors from all over the world happy that Asia Week New York was back.”
One of my favourite shows was “Celebrating Japanese Artists and Artworks”, presented by Orientations Gallery and Oriental Treasure Box at the prestigious Nippon Club. I was delighted to see gorgeous and important Japanese bamboo baskets included in the exhibition. These technically ingenious works of art are quite beautiful and the creativity and skill of the master artists, who produced them, is most impressive. For more information about this fascinating subject, please see our Spring 2023 issue featuring the superb cover article, “The Naej Collection: Bamboo Culture in Japan”, written by Tusha Buntin.
Immediately following this Editorial, I am confident that readers will enjoy the report, “TEFAF Maastricht 2023”, by Paul Bromberg, a long-time contributing editor to Arts of Asia. As in New York, dealers and visitors were delighted that the fair has returned in full strength, with many museum and individual visitors and robust sales this year. I would like to thank Paul for his coverage, featuring excellent photographs and informative interviews with exhibitors at the world-famous art fair.
Collectors also came out in force in Hong Kong to celebrate Sotheby’s 50th anniversary in Asia. The company’s marquee Spring 2023 sales in Hong Kong achieved over HK$3.7 billion (US$472 million). The season’s exhibition preview attracted more than 15,500 visitors (by far the highest number in the last three years), as Hong Kong fully reconnects with the world. There were exceptional objects and outstanding results—twenty-one auction records and new benchmarks were established. Please look out for the comprehensive saleroom report in our next issue.
It was also a great pleasure to visit the spectacular new headquarters of Phillips, designed by Herzog & de Meuron and LAAB Architects, in the WKCDA Tower in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District. Situated immediately next to M+, the world-class contemporary art museum, and neighbouring Hong Kong Palace Museum, the new Asia headquarters features over 52,000 square feet over six adjacent floors. Phillips is the first auction house in Hong Kong to have a permanent purpose-built exhibition space with saleroom, offices, café and VIP lounge, allowing for year-round events and auctions in its own space. A leading auction house for fine and rare watches, Phillips is proud to offer a Patek Philippe Reference 96 Quantieme Lune, an inscribed paper fan, a manuscript notebook, watercolour paintings and a leather-bound printed edition of Confucius’ Analects, once belonging to Aisin-Gioro Puyi, the last Emperor of China. Presenting a rare insight into a remarkable chapter in history, these incredible artefacts will be sold in Hong Kong on May 23rd, 2023, and will be on preview from May 18th to 23rd.
I was also fortunate in April to visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) for the wonderful exhibition, “Sam Francis and Japan: Emptiness Overflowing”, the first exhibition to explore the practice of Sam Francis (1923−1994), the American artist, in relation to historic and contemporary Japanese art and aesthetics. Presenting works by Francis alongside Japanese art, both premodern and contemporary, the exhibition introduces a new way of looking at the artist’s work that emphasises his aesthetic sense and his intellectual exchange with artists in Japan.
Comprising more than eighty works largely from LACMA’s collection, “Sam Francis and Japan” includes landmark paintings and prints by the artist, such as Towards Disappearance (1957−1958) and Meteorite (1986). Curated by Hollis Goodall, curator of Japanese Art at LACMA, Leslie Jones, curator of Prints and Drawings at LACMA, and Richard Speer, independent scholar and curator, the exhibition runs from April 9th to July 16th, 2023. Sam Francis is an artist whose works I have long admired and I consider him to be one of the greatest American Abstract Expressionist painters, along with Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline and Mark Rothko. Please do not miss this groundbreaking exhibition if you are visiting LA.
The International Antiques Fair (IAF) will return to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for its 13th edition after a three-year hiatus. Boasting nearly fifty exhibitors, who will showcase the very best in Chinese and Asian antiques, the highly-anticipated event will be open to the public from May 27th to 30th, with a VIP Opening Preview on May 26th. Alongside a robust roster of local and global exhibitors, this year’s fair continues to raise the bar with a premier line-up of public events, including an antiques appraisal, a special tea ceremony performance, a series of lectures hosted by respected experts in the field, and guided tours led by William Chak, the renowned antiques dealer and founder of IAF.
Among the many highlights will be a special exhibition, “The Art of Kungfu Tea, Ruoshen Teacup”, which will allow visitors to explore the art of the traditional Chinese tea ceremony through an exquisite array of tea wares. The upcoming edition also marks the return of the well-liked antiques appraisal, conducted by the organiser, as well as professionals from the Hong Kong Art Craft Association. Ronald Chak, Director of IAF, said, “Since its first edition in 2002, the International Antiques Fair has remained dedicated to the mission of promoting antique knowledge, facilitating cultural exchange and, most importantly, spreading our passion for antiques to the world. Thanks to the tremendous support from art lovers and collectors, it has grown from scratch to establish itself as one of the most prominent art events in Asia, which is an accomplishment in which I take great pride.”
I am personally looking forward to attending IAF and the Bonhams and Christie’s Hong Kong auctions in May, and welcoming guests back to Hong Kong after such a long break. This promises to be a busy summer with a packed schedule of important auctions in London, including Bonhams Chinese and Japanese art sales in May, as well as the interesting Bonhams sale of contemporary art and later Chinese bronzes belonging to the renowned dealer, Michael Goedhuis. There will also be several provincial Asian art sales in the UK around the same time.
Then comes the sixth edition of Printemps Asiatique Paris (Asia Week Paris) from June 7th to 16th, 2023, which I will be attending for the first time. Among many gallery shows, museum exhibitions and auctions, I am particularly looking forward to visiting the Pagoda Paris, the former home of C.T. Loo, the legendary antiques dealer, which will host several local and international dealers. A report on Printemps Asiatique Paris will be included in our forthcoming Autumn issue. In the meantime, I hope everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing summer.
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