Asian Art Museum
The Asian Art Museum is an art museum in San Francisco . It opened in 1966 as a result of a donation from patron Avery Brundage , who continued to make donations to the museum. The collection today comprises over 17,000 objects and is one of the most important collections of Asian art in the world.
history
The museum goes back to a donation from Avery Brundage to the city of San Francisco in 1959, which included part of its collection of Asian art and was subject to the condition that the city set up its own museum for it. A year later, voters opted for a $ 2,725,000 package to purchase the collection and build the museum building. Designed and built as the wing of the MH de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park , the museum building opened on June 10, 1966. The administrative tasks were also taken over by the MH de Young Memorial Museum.
In the years that followed, Brundage continued to expand his collection and fill in gaps. In 1969 he therefore made another donation to the city, subject to the condition that an independent administration of the Asian Art Museum be created and three million dollars invested in acquisitions and educational work. The museum subsequently had its own 27-person governing body known as the Asian Art Commission , its own library, conservation department, and budget. In 1973 the museum got its current name with the Asian Art Museum . Brundage continued collecting until his death in 1975 and bequeathed the rest of his collection of Asian art to the museum. The Asian Art Museum hosted several internationally important special exhibitions such as the first exhibition of archaeological finds from China after World War II in 1975.
The growing collection and the desire to organize more special exhibitions and public activities could not be accommodated and implemented in the previous museum building because it was too small. The city of San Francisco offered the museum the old city library building, the Civic Center , which had moved into a new building. In 1987 the city presented a plan to renovate and reuse the building, which was approved by a large majority in 1994 by the electorate. That same year and the following year, Asian Art Commissioner and entrepreneur Chong-Moon Lee donated $ 1 million to the Korean Art Museum's department, then $ 15 million for the renovation, which is why he gave him the Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture was dedicated. Gae Aulenti was selected as the architect in 1996 to adapt the building to the requirements of a museum. On October 7, 2001, the museum in Golden Gate Park closed and was prepared for the move. The opening at the new location took place on March 20, 2003.
collection
The collection comprises over 17,000 works of art, of which around 7,000 items are from the Avery Brundages collection. They come from a period of 6000 years and represent all Asian cultures. The objects are paintings , sculptures , ceramics , porcelain , textiles , furniture , dolls and weapons . The collection is divided into seven departments, structured according to geographical areas: South Asia , Persia and West Asia , Southeast Asia , Himalayas and Tibet , China , Korea and Japan .
The collection also contains some outstanding objects such as a Chinese Bronze - Statue of Buddha dating back to 338, which is the youngest known Buddha representation from China. In addition, the development of these art forms in China over 4500 years can be traced using objects made of porcelain and ceramics. Furthermore, objects made of jade can be seen from 4000 BC. The museum has the largest collection of Japanese bamboo - baskets outside Japan and major woodblock prints from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The museum is home to the largest and most important collection of Korean art outside of Korea, including paintings, books and textiles. Visitors can also see stone and bronze objects from Angkor Wat and one of the most important collections of Thai paintings outside of Thailand. In addition, stone sculptures from India can be seen, which make the development of Buddhist art understandable. Furthermore, objects represent the diversity of Indian architecture .
Chinese bronze Buddha from 338
Japanese fan
Amitabha and eight great bodhisattvas, 14th century
Wayang Golek dolls, Java
Special exhibitions
Important special exhibitions were held in the museum, which attracted a great deal of attention. In June 1975 the first exhibition of archaeological finds from the People's Republic of China , which has been allowed to leave China since the Second World War, took place. Within eight weeks, this exhibition drew 800,000 visitors. In 1979, together with the National Museum of Korea, the museum hosted an exhibition of Korean works of art spanning five millennia, which is considered a milestone in the field of Korean art. The Asian Art Museum also hosted the first exhibition organized with a Chinese museum in 1983. Works from six millennia in the Shanghai Museum were on display. This cooperation was supported by the connection of Shanghai and San Francisco as twin cities .
The exhibition Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet , which was organized in conjunction with the Tibet House in New York and was subsequently shown in various locations around the world for several years, was opened by the Dalai Lama on April 17, 1991 . In August 1994 the Tomb Treasures from China: The Buried Art of Ancient Xi'an exhibition featured the Terracotta Army , and in July 1995 the Mongolia: The Legacy of Chinggis Khan exhibition was the largest and most important exhibition of Mongolian art in the United States States, instead.
literature
- Terry Allen: The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco: Selected Works . University of Washington Press, 1994. ISBN 0-2959-7414-1
- Thomas Christensen: The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco: Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture (Art Spaces) . Scala Books, 2006. ISBN 1-8575-9356-1
Web links
See also
Coordinates: 37 ° 46 ′ 49 " N , 122 ° 24 ′ 59.7" W.