PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART Benjamin Franklin Parkway Box 7646 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101-7646 tel: (215) 763-8100, 684-7962 (Museum Shop); fax: 215 236-4465, 684-7382 (Museum Shop) internet: www.philamuseum.org/
		•A Wind in the Mountains: Chinese Ming Dynasty Painting and Calligraphy through June 1, 2001
			An exhibition featuring bird and flower paintings with distinct brushwork and splashed ink. Semi-cursive calligraphy and bold brush strokes also figure prominently.
		•Currents in Clay: Twentieth Century Japanese Ceramics June 4, 1999 - December 2000
			One of the preeminent features of contemporary Japanese design has been the excellence of its ceramics artistry. The diversity of styles, forms and decorations reflects both the long pottery tradition of Japan, as well as 20th century artistic influences worldwide. This exhibit features Japanese ceramics by such artists as Sasaki Atsushi and Kawase Shinobu, among others, as well as a small selection of the Museum's holdings of contemporary Japanese ceramics. Of note are Sasaki Atsushi's large square dish, that takes its inspiration from textiles in its three-dimensional pattern of interlocking circles and basketry motifs, and a sculptural piece in the shape of a lotus leaf that was created by Kawase Shinobu using traditional Chinese celadon glazing techniques.
		• The Spirit of Korea Through October 2001
			Ceramics, scrolls, and decorative arts illustrate Korean art from the Three Kingdoms through the Choson dynasties.
		•Transcendent Bliss, Chinese Buddhist Art from the Permanent Collection June 23, 2000 - June 2002
			For nearly 2000 years Chinese artists and craftsmen have created works of Buddhist art. According to the branch of Buddhism that took hold in China, all creatures that are conscious have the potential of becoming enlightened. Monks and nuns, priests, Lohans (disciples of the Buddha), Bodhisattvas (saint-like enlightened beings), and Buddhas (eternal beings that are the embodiment of universal and cosmic truth) are each at a different place on the path to enlightenment. This exhibition takes as its subjects these beings and the transcendent bliss they seek. Featured examples created for devotion and display include carved and molded sculptures, colorful textiles, paintings, and sacred texts.
		•West Meets East: China and Japan at the Centennial Exhibition May 10, 2001 - June 2002
			The 1876 Centennial Exhibition held in Philadelphia was the first opportunity that most Americans, including later scholars and art collectors such as Ernest Fenollosa and Edward Sylvester Morse, had to come into direct contact with Asian art. Among the displays were large-scale vases, elaborate bronzes and delicate lacquer wares from China and Japan. In honor of the 125th Anniversary of the Museum, about forty objects associated with the Centennial will be on exhibition in the Japanese galleries, opening 125 years to the day of the opening of the Centennial Exhibition itself.
	Return to article selection page