METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART 1000 Fifth Avenue New York, New York 10028-0198 tel: (212) 570-3838; fax: 212 794-9316 internet: www.metmuseum.org
		•Graceful Gestures: A Decade of Collecting Japanese Art September 29, 2001 - March 10, 2002
			This exhibit of more than 100 Japanese works of art celebrates individual donors and the members of the Friends of Asian Art whose commitment to Japanese works and the Department of Asian Art has enabled the Museum both to enrich its holdings and to further appreciation of Japanese art. The diverse works on view, which date from the Jomon period to the 20th century, include screens, sculpture, pottery, lacquer, hanging scrolls and handscrolls, prints, furniture, textiles, inro, and glass.
		•Splendid Isolation: Art of Easter Island December 11, 2001 - August 4, 2002
			While Easter Island is renowned for the colossal stone figures that adorn its sacred temples, much of its art remains unfamiliar to wider audiences. This first American exhibit devoted to the Polynesian art of Easter Island presents more than 50 works examining the island's diverse artistic heritage and explores the distinctive art forms as expressions of supernatural and secular power. Dating from the 13th to the late 19th century, the works in the exhibition range from robust stone images to refined wooden sculpture, rare barkcloth figures, and examples of rongorongo,the island's unique and undeciphered script.
		•When the Manchus Ruled China: Painting under the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) February 2, 2002 - August 18, 2002
			The most comprehensive exhibit of Qing dynasty painting ever mounted in the West, this selection of more than 60 works will focus on painting under the brilliant reigns of the Kangxi (r. 1662-1722) and Qianlong (r. 1736 - 95) emperors -- a period when the Manchus embraced Chinese cultural traditions and the court became a leading patron in the arts. On view will be major works by the three principal groups of artists working during the Qing: the traditionalists, who sought to revitalize painting through the creative reinterpretation of past models; the individualists, who practiced a deeply personal form of art that often carried a strong message of political protest; and the courtiers, the officials and professional artists that served at the Manchu court.
		•Treasures from a Lost Civilization: Ancient Chinese Art from Sichuan March 5 - June 16, 2002
			This exhibition will present the fascinating world of the art, material culture, and spiritual life of ancient Sichuan, in southwestern China, that field archaeology has just uncovered in the last fifteen years. The 127 works of art on exhibit will include monumental bronze images of deities, lively human figures, fantastic bronze vessels, exquisite jades, and spirited ceramic sculptures dating from the 13th century BC to the 3rd century AD. They are among the most unusual and spectacular works of art produced anywhere in the ancient world, and most of them will be shown for the first time in the United States. This exhibit will provide rare access to a previously unknown artistic and cultural tradition as well as an opportunity to reexamine the early phase of Chinese civilization.
		•Glimpses of the Silk Road: Central Asia in the First Millennium A.D. Opening summer 2002
			The exhibit of 40 diverse objects shows that the art of Central Asia is marked by an amalgam of different influences, combining Hellenistic imagery and Near Eastern motifs with Chinese and Indian features. Goods and raw materials as well as new ideas, religious beliefs, artistic languages, and technological innovations were transmitted throughout the region along the Silk Road. Sculptures from various sites, and rare wall paintings from the Kushan kingdom and that of Kucha illustrate the blend of eastern and western traditions that define Central Asian art. Buddhist themes, often represented in the sculptures and paintings, reflect the spread of the Indian religion throughout the region and into China. Perhaps the most outstanding examples of works of art in the Parthian period are two ivory rhytons from Nysa, which combine Iranian and Greek themes and styles. Metalwork, textiles, and stucco produced by the Persians, the Kushans, the Sogdians, the Chinese, and others share numerous themes and decorative elements, interpreting and adapting them into their own creations.
		•Herzfeld in Samarra June 5, 2002 Ð January 5, 2003
			On display will be a selection of little-known material that the Department of Islamic Art acquired in 1943 from Ernst Emile Herzfeld, one of the most prominent archaeologists and scholars of Islamic art of the first half of the 20th century. Herzfeld's notebooks, sketchbooks, travel journals, artistically accomplished watercolors and ink drawings, site maps, architectural plans, photo albums, and photographs will be included, focusing on material related to Samarra, the temporary capital of the Abbasid caliphs (A.D. 836Ð892) situated about 125 miles north of Baghdad. The exhibit will highlight one of the most significant Islamic archaeological sites and, at the same time, will offer intriguing insights into a pioneer in the studies of Islamic art.
		•Arms and Armor for the Permanent Collection: Acquisitions since 1991 September 4, 2002 - June 29, 2003
			This exhibit celebrates more than a decade of acquisitions made since the reinstallation of the Arms and Armor Galleries in 1991. Although high-quality works are becoming increasingly rare, a number of important gifts and purchases have significantly enriched the Museum's renowned collection of European, Japanese, and Islamic arms, increasing its depth and breadth as well as its appeal to scholars and the public alike. Major acquisitions, as well as curatorial purchases of more modest value, will be highlighted, and newly explored areas of collecting such as Tibetan arms and armor will be presented for the first time.
		•The Cultivated Landscape: Chinese Paintings from the Collection of Marie-Hélène and Guy Weill September 10, 2002 - February 9, 2003
			On view will be select works from the collection of Marie-Hélène and Guy Weill that have been donated or promised to the Museum together with related paintings from the Metropolitan's holdings that explore the theme of the garden in Chinese art. Catalogue available.
		•Nomadic Art from the Eastern Eurasian Steppes October 1, 2002 - January 5, 2003
			This exhibit will present the art of the nomads who roamed over the Eastern Eurasian steppes and contributed to the early cultural exchange between China and the West in the first millennium B.C. The more than 200 bronze, gold, and silver works will include horse tack and harness fittings, chariot fittings, belt ornaments, garment plaques, weapons, and vessels that are characterized by bold designs and skilled craftsmanship. Catalogue available.
		•Japanese Art from the Collection of Sylvan Barnet and William Burto October 1, 2002 - March 2, 2003
			This exhibit will display 56 works of Japanese calligraphy, spanning a period of more than 1,000 years. The collection -- which traces the evolution of Japanese calligraphy from the Nara period (710 - 784) through the 19th century -- includes examples of both the earliest forms of writing, employing Chinese script (kanji), and the later forms, employing Japanese script (kana). The presentation of the Barnet and Burto Collection will be supplemented by a selection of Japanese paintings and calligraphy from the Metropolitan's holdings. Catalogue available.
		•The Legacy of Genghis Khan: Courtly Art and Culture in Western Asia, 1256Ð1353 October 29, 2002 - February 16, 2003
			This exhibit will focus on the period of Ilkhanid rule (a semi-independent branch of the Mongols) in the Iranian region (ca. 1256 - 1353), which caused a transformation of the locally established artistic language through contact with Far Eastern art of the Yüan period. This period witnessed a number of remarkable achievements within the sphere of art and culture; but the most significant impact was on the arts of the book, which became a means to further the Mongol dynasty's political agenda and legitimize the ruling elite. The exhibit will include some 200 objects equally divided between illustrated manuscripts, the decorative arts, and architectural decoration. Catalogue available.
		•Korean Ceramics from the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge University November 5, 2002 - April 6, 2003
			This of nearly 80 ceramics from the distinguished collection of the Fitzwilliam Museum will focus on the celadon ware of the Koryo period (918 - 1392). Catalogue available.
		•New Galleries for Ancient Near Eastern Art Opened October 19, 1999
			The gallery displays sulpture, metalwork, seals, and other objects dating from 8000 BC to 700 AD from ancient Mesopotamia, Iran, and their neighbors, ranging from Anatolia and the Arabian Peninsula to the Indus Valley, and Central Asia to the Mediterranean Sea.
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