Houston Community News >> Museum Hosting 5,000 Years of Chinese Art
2/19/2007 SANTA ANA - The
bronze bowl seems unremarkable until you study it from above. Then, the shallow
basin suddenly seems to teem with life: etchings of tiny tadpoles, turtles and
fish wriggle across the bottom and up the sides, as if trapped in a real pond.
The bowl, which dates to 770 BC and was used in an ancient Chinese hand-washing
ritual, is one of dozens of artifacts on loan from the famed Shanghai Museum for
a six-month exhibit at the Bowers Museum. The show will trace 5,000 years of
Chinese history when it opens today and marks the first time in two decades that
the prestigious Chinese museum has opened its collection for use by a U.S.
institution.
Seventy-seven objects guide visitors through the evolution of China's history,
from the simple pottery of the Neolithic cultures to the intricate miniature
bamboo panoramas and colorful scrolls of the Qing
Dynasty, which ended less than a century ago.
``This is a very comprehensive exhibit from one of the most famous Chinese
institutions in the world,'' said Peter Keller, president of the Bowers. ``Each
dynasty is known for something outstanding, and by choosing the iconic objects
from each dynasty, you can tell the story of China.''
Securing ``Treasures of Shanghai: 5,000 Years of Chinese Art and
Chinese Culture'' was a coup for the
Bowers, a small but growing institution in Orange County, about 35 miles south
of Los Angeles. The opening coincides with the addition of two wings, one of
which will remain dedicated to Chinese art after the Shanghai collection leaves
Aug. 19.
The show, which cost nearly $300,000 to bring to California, might travel to
Houston as well, museum officials said.
Keller said the museum signed an agreement with Shanghai years ago but couldn't
host a show until now because of space constraints. He also said a recent
program that sends Orange County teenagers to Shanghai to study art and teach
English has cemented a bond between the two institutions.
Chen Kelun, deputy director and curator at the Shanghai Museum, said visitors to
the Bowers can see how art preferences played out over thousands of years, and
how technological advances often dictated those tastes.
``At the very beginning, you'll see a very, small simple pot. That piece looks
very simple, but actually it's a very important mark for Chinese civilization:
the beginning of the Bronze Age,'' he said. ``Then, the
Han Dynasty starts to leave bronze behind. Each
kind of art has its most prosperous time and then it will come down. That is the
rule for all art.''
(Contributed by MercuryNews.com)