What is Tibetan Art? Selections from the Rubin Museum of Art

Saturday, September 15, 2007 - Sunday, April 27, 2008

You might ask, What is Tibet! Tibet has compromised different territories over its history—an empire stretching across north Asia in the 7th-8th centuries, divided into clan strongholds and around powerful monasteries, subject to pressure from outside armies, and now folded within the boundaries of various countries. In fact “Tibet” is not even called “Tibet” outside the west! The paintings and sculptures in this exhibition provide an overview of history, geography, art, religion and style of Cultural Tibet with its particular kind of Buddhism—known wherever it has taken root as Tibetan Buddhism.

Tibetan art, furthermore, is not restricted to art made by Tibetans! Skilled Newari craftsmen from Kathmandu Valley in Nepal were brought to paint temple murals and to provide ritual supports in the form of paintings and sculpture. Chinese emperors of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (13-19th centuries) took religious instruction from Tibetan teachers and sent caravans of imperially produced paintings, objects, silk textiles to their revered prelates. Tibetan Buddhism was embraced by Mongolians who brought their own beliefs and artistic sensibilities, such as familiarity with animal life, under the great tent of Tibetan art. Sample the variety, liveliness, rich color, and provocative ideas as you develop your own understanding of Tibetan art.

Texas Collects Asia: Japan

Friday, January 18, 2008 - Sunday, March 30, 2008

As the first part of a series of five exhibitions in 2008 celebrating our ten-year anniversary, The Crow Collection of Asian Art presents a selection of impressive Japanese paintings and works of art from private collections and museums across Texas. This exhibition will include over twenty Japanese paintings of recent centuries that have subjects of animals, nature, humanity, and legends. These paintings reflect the artistic achievements of various schools of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and highlight the experience and emotion of the scenes. A group of lacquer wares will illustrate the refined sensibility of the merchant class who heavily patronized this type of artworks in the nineteenth century. This exhibition will also showcase fine examples of netsuke, metal wares, screens, and porcelains. They all represent the great interest that Texas collectors have in Japanese art.

The CARU Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles, Part II

Saturday, September 29, 2007 - Sunday, January 27, 2008

September 29th will mark the opening of the exhibition featuring the CARU Collection that has an exciting selection of bottles made of glass, amber, enameled pottery, and coral. This exhibition is the second of several Chinese snuff bottle exhibitions showcasing bottles with exceptionally high standards of rarity, quality, and condition.

CARU Collection, Part II includes sixty bottles—an important selection of examples from the collection. In particular, there is an impressive group of enameled pottery and ceramic bottles, ingeniously painted with subjects such as court ladies, peonies, and crabs amidst waterweeds. Since snuff-taking had ceased to be fashionable by the 19th century, the bottles had become highly prized for their own sake. This group of carefully chosen bottles will provide a scintillating exhibition that will educate as well as stimulate the senses.

Five Thousand Years of Chinese Ceramics

Saturday, September 29, 2007 - Monday, December 31, 2007

China has one of the most glorious ceramic traditions in the world. This exhibition of over one hundred works from the collection of Robin and R. Randolph Richmond Jr. celebrates the great artistic quality and technical virtuosity of Chinese potters from the Neolithic era through the Yuan dynasty (approximately 4000 B.C. through the fourteenth century). Featuring works from the major traditions and kilns, the exhibition showcases the extraordinary achievements of Chinese potters in both earthenware and stoneware, and in ceramics made for use in this world as well as in the afterlife.

This exhibition traces the development of Chinese ceramics through a chronological presentation that ranges from the sculptural forms and bold painted decoration of Neolithic and early dynastic wares, to the engaging tomb ceramics of the Han through Five Dynasties era (220 B.C.–A.D.970), concluding with the subtle monochromes and exuberantly decorated wares produced during the Song (960–1279) and Yuan eras (1279–1368).

CARU Collection of Snuff Bottles

Friday, May 18, 2007 - Sunday, September 02, 2007

The Crow Collection of Asian Art is proud to present this group of sixty-two jade bottles from the CARU Collection. This unusual presentation of top quality jade bottles from a single collection demonstrates the vast range of color, form, design, and workmanship available in this beautiful and venerated material.

Jade is the generic term for two distinctive minerals, jadeite and nephrite. The rarity of jade and its costliness during antiquity resulted in its association with human virtue and all that is excellent. The Chinese used this almost indestructible material to cover the orifices of the dead in order to prevent the spirit from escaping.

Nephrite, a silicate containing calcium, magnesium, and aluminum, has a hardness of 6.5 on the Mohs scale. It is usually of an opaque, creamy color most prized in its pure white or yellow form. Nephrite is also found in colors ranging from pale gray to shades of green and white.

The main source of nephrite for the Chinese was the Kunlun Mountains, which form the boundary between Chinese Turkestan and Tibet. It was initially found as stones on river beds until mining began in earnest in the late 16th century. Traders brought the stone to the Chinese courts. The amount of nephrite dramatically increased after Emperor Qianlong (r. 1736–1795) conquered Turkestan in 1759. After 1759 new sources in the area yielded abundant supplies of nephrite of superior quality in very large blocks.

Jadeite, a silicate of sodium and aluminum, is slightly harder than nephrite on the Mohs scale (6.5–7). It is often translucent with an “icy” crystalline structure sometimes apparent to the naked eye. Jadeite comes in a variety of colors almost as great as that of nephrite. It is renowned for its apple and emerald tones, which are of gem quality, and can also be found in shades of blue and lavender, which are not found in nephrite. Jadeite has not been found in China itself; the earliest record of the stone being imported into China from Burma was during the Qianlong period.

As a tough material, jade has to be worked by wearing away the surfaces using tools primed with abrasives such as crushed corundum and garnet. By the late 16th century, Chinese craftsmen carved jade using tools powered by foot pedals, which left their hands free to manoeuvre the material with greater ease. It would have taken a craftsman several years to transform a rough stone boulder into works of art: he would initially have produced the desired form, and then created the minute details of a pattern before polishing the surfaces. In the case of snuff bottles, a considerable amount of the precious material was wasted as the interior was hollowed out; however, because snuff bottles are so small they could be carved from the hollow areas of larger items such as libation cups. 

Usually between two and three inches tall, snuff bottles are meant to be held in the hand, looked at closely, and scrutinized with intensity. The variety of colors and shades, along with the fissures and imperfections in the stone, provided the perfect stimulus to a craftsman in the creation of the final masterpiece. The opportunity to experience this variety for ourselves is what makes this group of bottles so fascinating.

- Consulting Curator, Robert Hall

Over the past thrity years, Mr. Hall has become one of the leading Chinese Snuff Bottle dealers in the field. He has played an intregal role in the formation of many of the world's great collections.

Female Buddhas: Women of Enlightenment in Himalayan Art

Thursday, February 08, 2007 - Sunday, August 26, 2007

Female Buddhas inaugurates RMA in Dallas, the new partnership between Rubin Museum of Art and The Crow Collection of Asian Art. With objects dating from the thirteenth through the nineteenth century, the exhibition includes sculptures and colorful paintings of fully realized women of power, compassion, and omniscience, including Tara, the most popular female Buddha in Tibet. Compelling expressions of the feminine are represented through vibrant color, fluid line, and rich symbolism, the distinguishing qualities of Himalayan art.

RMA in Dallas will present a series of exhibitions developed from RMA’s permanent collection that will explore the rich art found in the regions surrounding a 1,800-mile arc of high mountains and deep valleys that stretch from Afghanistan to Myanmar (Burma). The Himalayan cultural sphere was immortalized by the Silk Road, an iconic bridge comprising a series of land routes across Asia. In this spirit, RMA is expanding beyond its New York home by establishing long-term partnerships with like-minded institutions. RMA in Dallas is the first of these initiatives.

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U-Ram Choe: New Media from Seoul

Thursday, June 07, 2007 - Saturday, August 18, 2007

The Crow Collection of Asian Art welcomes a solo exhibition of work by Korean artist U-Ram Choe (b. 1970, Seoul). The Mezzanine of The Crow Collection will be transformed with large-scale metal and plastic mechanical forms that engage in a fanciful dialog of aesthetics and machinery while exploring themes of biological transformation, flight, and movement.

The machines materialize with such a delicacy and weightlessness that they seem to take on a shape and silhouette of organic life forms. Motors, heat and light-sensitive materials add to the intricacy of Choe’s kinetic sculptures. With titles that incorporate scientific nomenclature such as Urbanus, Scientific Name: Anmopista Volaticus Floris Uram, the work is reminiscent of a prehistoric exhibit at a natural science or history museum. There are certain elements of recognition: Mechanical diagrams, text descriptions of habitats, visible evidence of fins evolving into wings, and even propellers. The warm biological livelihoods of machine-creatures become the subject in Choe’s work. These dynamic forms embody emotion and have anthropological roots, despite their streamlined metallic sheen.

Organized by bitforms gallery, NYC | Seoul with Support from One Arts Plaza

Changing Identity: Recent Works by Women Artists from Vietnam

Friday, March 16, 2007 - Sunday, May 27, 2007

Changing Identity introduces the work of ten contemporary Vietnamese women artists who challenge the stereotypes and traditional roles of women in Vietnamese society. This exhibition is the first survey of women artists from Vietnam to tour the United States. Through the use of various media, subject matters, and aesthetic sensibilities, two generations of artists share views of their country and the changing status of women. Together their work provides a diverse view of Vietnam itself, reflecting a range of opinions and experiences.

Vietnamese history and folklore is laden with tales of heroic women. In 43 AD, two sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, riding on elephants, successfully drove away the invading Chinese army. Later, in 248 AD, Trieu Au, also fought off enemy forces in a cunning display of feminine power. The Vietnamese nation itself has an origin myth involving the union of a dragon and a fairy who parented 100 children. These exploits and a strong matriarchal tradition notwithstanding, women in Vietnam have not always been recognized for their contributions toward the national culture.

Vietnamese art has a long history, but the colonial period of French occupation from the late 19th century until 1945 shaped much of what is known today as Vietnamese national art. It was in 1925 that an art school was established in Hanoi and the first generation of academic painters and sculptors were educated. Emancipated in other ways due to their exposure to Western culture, only three women graduated from the colonial art school. After independence, that number multiplied considerably with nearly 50 percent of subsequent graduating classes consisting of women.

Still, today, living in a developing economy after decades of poverty and war, facing pressures of work, family life and male domination, women are often ignored in art exhibitions. Changing Identity is not trying to single out women as a unique category of artists in Vietnam, but rather celebrate the diverse expressions of female identity in a changing society. Each artist in this exhibition shares a unique perspective on her own culture. Rather than creating a generic stereotype of women in Vietnam, this exhibition aims to emphasize Vietnamese women’s individual experiences and personalities in order to challenge both the notion of “woman” as a single category and the “Vietnamese artist” as a single genre of art. These women illustrate not just the multiple faces of Vietnamese society but also the diversity of artistic expressions. Vietnamese art today is emerging as a creative force in large part because of the contributions made by women who, more than their male counterparts, dare to rebel against conformity.

Changing Identity is organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC, and supported in part by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation and the Henry Luce Foundation. Educational activities made possible by a grant from the Ford Foundation, Hanoi office, and fiscally administered by the Institute of International Education.

The Spinnaker Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles

Thursday, December 14, 2006 - Sunday, April 15, 2007

December 14, The Crow Collection of Asian Art will open its first loan exhibition featuring antique Chinese snuff bottles. The works of art from the Spinnaker Collection, a private collection of exceptionally rare quality and condition, will be on view through April 15, 2007.

The Spinnaker Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles provides intriguing insight into the extraordinary lengths to which the Imperial workshops of Qing Dynasty China (1644-1912) sought to impress the Emperors, aristocrats and literati.

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Immortal Images: Chinese Jades from the Permanent Collection of Trammell & Margaret Crow

Monday, January 01, 2007 - Saturday, March 31, 2007

The Crows have traveled extensively throughout the world, but Asia is a favorite destination.  "Our first visit to China came in 1976 right before Chairman Mao Tse-tung died," Mrs. Crow said.  "Very few foreigners were allowed inside China at that time, but we received permission because of Dallas Market Center’s involvement with the Canton Trade Fair." Tight restrictions on exports from China prevented the Crows from making many direct buys of art during their 14 subsequent visits to the country. 

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News from Abroad: Japanese Woodblock Prints from Yokohama, Japan

Friday, July 21, 2006 - Sunday, September 10, 2006

 Bewilderment, confusion, fascination, fear and astonishment describe the reaction to the arrival of Western trade ships in Japanese ports in the mid-19th Century. Bizarre languages, alien customs and exotic-looking people penetrated Japanese society bridging the East and the West. On display this summer at The Crow Collection - News from Abroad: Woodblock Prints from Yokohama, Japan is the first artistic medium to respond to the new influences affecting Japanese society in the 1850s.

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Touching the Mekong: A Southeast Asian Sojourn

Friday, April 14, 2006 - Sunday, July 09, 2006

Touching the Mekong: A Southeast Asian Sojourn
Contemporary black-and-white photography depicts life in Southeast Asia

Imagine contemporary life in mainland Southeast Asia…Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia and Laos.  Through more than 50 black-and-white images taken from 2001-2002, photographer Andrea Baldeck visually guides visitors through the cultures and into the lives of people living in Southeast Asia.   Explore this rare and sensitive depiction of life bridging thousands of miles and creating a personal connection with its viewers. Let your journey begin.

Touching the Mekong is distinctive because it illustrates modern life in a region that is often overlooked. Since the end of America’s involvement in Vietnam, the culture of Southeast Asia has been largely unexamined, but Baldeck’s works successfully highlight the subject matters of children, families, workers, market places, religious relics and lush scenery. The images are at once clean, honest and peaceful depictions of daily life in the region. The Touching the Mekong exhibit images were gleaned from 200 rolls of film taken from Baldeck’s two excursions to Southeast Asia.

A fine-art photographer such as Baldeck works exclusively in black-and-white and completes all of her own darkroom processing and printing. Making careful use of light and shadow, contrast and composition, she sees the photography in this exhibit as “a personal account of textured, nuanced, enigmatic moments in a fascinating world.”

Baldeck had many careers before becoming a photographer. She was a musician specializing in the French horn and flute as well as an anesthesiologist in several Philadelphia area hospitals and has worked as a volunteer internist in Haiti and Grenada, bringing her camera along in her medicine bag. In the early 1990s she left music and medicine behind and committed to photography, and by 1996 she had published her first book of photography, The Heart of Haiti.

Baldeck’s photography has been shown in the Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, Florida; Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York; Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia; and the Century Club, Rochester, New York.

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Ancient Threads Newly Woven

Wednesday, March 01, 2006 - Saturday, March 25, 2006

Ancient Threads, Newly Woven: Recent Art from China’s Silk Road is an exhibit of more than 75 paintings by contemporary artists from China’s ancient Silk Road region. The 2,000-year-old caravan route linked East and West for centuries by facilitating the exchange of goods and ideas, and bringing profound changes to those living or passing along its path. The works in the exhibit depict the life and culture of various stops on this ancient passage. Ancient Threads is the largest installation of paintings presented by the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art since the museum’s inception in 1998.

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True Words: Wood Sculpture Relief from Shandong, China

Wednesday, September 21, 2005 - Monday, January 02, 2006

True Words: Wood Sculpture Relief by a Group of Artists from Shandong, China, is an exceptional exhibit making its third appearance in the United States since 2003. This is its second appearance in Texas. It will run at the Crow Collection from September 21, 2005 – January 2, 2006. Admission is free. The twenty pieces of the True Words exhibit are artistically captivating and emotionally moving. The works have been created by a group of deaf and mute artists in their early thirties, who live and work near the northeast coast of China.
The eight artists live with their adopted guardians in a remote village outside the town of Wei Fang, China. Notably, the works and artistic genius are not compromised by their imposing disabilities. The ability to reflect upon poignant subject matter such as family relationships, sexual anxieties and longing for brotherhood are articulated through these intricate carvings.

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Geisha to Diva

Wednesday, January 12, 2005 - Sunday, May 15, 2005

The Crow Collection of Asian Art will present this collection of kimonos along with costumes, several pieces of furniture, souvenirs, and records.  Woodblock prints illustrating the life of geishas are also part of the exhibition and include an actual print of Ichimaru herself.  The exhibition will open Wednesday, Jan. 12 with a members’ preview Tuesday, Jan. 11 from 6-8 p.m.  The show will close May 15.

Ichimaru was born into a poor family and became a geisha in the 1920s and early 30s. She gained a reputation as an elegant and beautiful Geisha who possessed a "nightingale-like voice". She signed a contract with Victor Records and remained a popular singer who performed in geisha regalia from the 1930s to the 1970s. She died in her nineties.

The kimonos in this exhibition reflect her taste from the 1930s to the 1970s. The costumes are preserved in almost pristine condition and reflect several different styles and methods of decoration.

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