Hothousing the World's Cultures: An Interview with Albert Lutz and Adolf Krischanitz

In 2002, the City Council of Zurich invited tenders for the expansion of the Museum Rietberg, known for its collections of Asian, African, American and Oceanic art. Of the eight teams that submitted proposals - two of which were Japanese - the jury decided in favour of Berlin and Vienna-based Grazioli + Krischanitz. Commenting on the merits of the winning proposal, Albert Lutz, the museum's director, said: `[This is] a decision that I wholeheartedly supported. Adolf Krischanitz has built other museums and was himself once the director of a museum, the Secession in Vienna. These were good qualifications, in my opinion, and the project's clear conception corresponded exactly to our requirements and aesthetic taste.'

Canopies of Emerald, the name of the winning proposal, has multiple references that resonate in the jewel-like entrance envisioned by the architects, the museum's history and its distinctive ambience. Taken from `In a Hothouse', a poem by Mathilde Wesendonck - the first resident of its main building, Villa Wesendonck - set to music by Richard Wagner, the name is also evocative of the lush greenery of Rieter Park where the museum is located. Wagner's masterpiece, Tristan and Isolde, was, in fact, composed at the villa some 150 years ago. As Lutz describes it: `... many different cultural impulses have had a determining influence on our museum; together they are what constitute its atmosphere.'
On the occasion of the new extension's opening, Orientations speaks to Lutz and Krischanitz about recent and future developments at the museum, and the challenges of bringing to fruition - on time and on budget - a project of this nature.

The glass facade of The Emerald entrance hall reflecting Villa Wesendonck which sits across the wood-paved square (Photography by Willi Kracher)

Guanyin China, Jin period, 12th century Wood with traces of polychrome decoration Height 90 cm, width 88 cm Museum Rietberg Zurich (RCH 301) Gift of Eduard von der Heydt (Photography by Rainer Wolfsberger)

by Helmut Brinker, Professor Emeritus of the University of Zurich.

The author introduces the major holdings in the museum and the donors including the initial founder Baron Eduard von der Heydt who presented his extensive Asian art collection to the city of Zurich in 1952. Of paramount importance to him was the noble human images rendered most convincingly in sculptures of deities from the Buddhist and Hindu pantheons. Brinker discusses von der Heydt's acquisition policy and how he loaned during World War II entire collections to various institutions including to museums in the US which, to this day, have not been returned. The von der Heydt collection was supplemented by the J.F.H. Menten collection of Chinese tomb sculpture when the Museum Rietberg was established and many other collectors of Asian art followed van der Heydt's example and entrusted their treasures to the museum. For example, the Japanese woodblock print collections of Willy Boller and Heinz Brasch were gifted by Julius Mueller; in 1971 Alice Boner donated her collection of Indian art and the collection of Chinese paintings assembled by Charles A. Drenowatz was the most significant donation in the period from 1970 to 1982. During the 1980s Ernst Winkler bequested 43 archaic Chinese bronzes and Pierre Uldry's unique collection of Chinese cloisonne and gold and silver are also on view in the new galleries. No masks were given to the museum by Nanni and Balthasar Reinhart and the collection of Himalayan and Tibetan art has been enriched by Berti Aschmann's collection of gilt-bronze Buddhist sculptures.

Villa Wesendonck, Museum Rietberg Zurich (Photography by Rainer Wolfsberger)

Park-Villa Rieter, Museum Rietberg Zurich (Photography by Rainer Wolfsberger)

Seated Fudo Myoo Japan, Fujiwara period, second half of 12th century Cypress wood with traces of polychrome decoration Height 112 cm, width 42 cm Museum Rietberg Zurich (RJP 21) Gift of Novartis (Photography by Rainer Wolfsberger)

by Helmut Brinker, Professor Emeritus of the University of Zurich.

The author summarizes the major Asian art exhibitions organized by and held at the museum since its founding. Before it was able to mount its own exhibitions, the Museum Rietberg sent a selection of sculptures, paintings and ancient bronzes for a show `Treasures from the Rietberg Museum' in New York and San Francisco in 1980. Brinker reflects back on the response to this exhibition from, for example, John Pope of the Freer and Laurence Sickman of the Nelson-Atkins Museum. To inaugurate the two new galleries at the museum sponsored by Pierre Uldry, `Chinese Cloisonne: The Pierre Uldry Collection' showed some of his treasures for the first time in 1985. Documenting the cultural exchange between Zurich and Kunming were one hundred objects excavated from Shizhaishan and Lijiashan in a show titled `Dian: A Vanished Kingdom in China' in 1985. The museum's most ambitious exhibition of Indian painting was the 1990 show titled `Pahari Masters: Court Painters of Northern India' followed by the more focused show `Nainsukh of Guler' in 1999. It would take a lifetime of devotion to see in Japan all 63 works drawn from monasteries, national and private museums and individuals in the exhibition `ZEN: Masters of Meditation in Images and Writings' held at the museum in 1993. In 1996 42 outstanding works from the Met in New York were placed on view in `Mandate of Heaven: Emperors and Artists in China' and in 2001 the fruits of research by Katharina Epprecht were introduced in `Tohaku: Highlights of Japanese Painting of the Sixteenth Century'. To celebrate the museum's 50th anniversary in 2002 `The Return of the Buddha: Buddhist Sculptures of the Sixth Century from Qingzhou, China' comprised 33 images selected by Albert Lutz, Willibald Veit and the author.

Shiva with female companion India, Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh, probably Bundelkandh, c. late 11th century Grey sandstone Height 58 cm Museum Rietberg Zurich (RVI 230) Alice Boner Collection (Photography by Rainer Wolfsberger)

Decorative plaque China, Dian culture, c. 150-50 BCE From Shizhaishan, Jining county, Yunnan province Bronze Height 8.5 cm, width 16 cm Yunnan Provincial Museum, Kunming On loan to the Museum Rietberg until January 2008 (Photograph courtesy of Yunnan Provincial Museum)

by Jan Fontein, former director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

The author investigates the collection of Southeast Asian art given to the museum by Baron von der Heydt and how it reflects both the individual tastes of its collector and the views on Asian art that prevailed among his most well-informed contemporaries of his day. When he began collecting in the 1920s and 1930s, scholarly investigation of date, style, iconography and provenance of the Asian works of art he so admired had yet to catch up with the keen appreciation of their artistic value by collectors. He therefore sought the advice of leading scholars. Key items from the collection are discussed, including a Cham statue from the Dong-Du'o'ng monastery in Vietnam, a monumental Khmer female deity, and a selection of pieces from Thailand and statues from Indonesia. Fontein suggests that the collection has probably achieved, due to current restraints imposed upon international trade of cultural property, its definite shape and that those interested in this part of the world can now focus on preserving, investigating and displaying the works assembled by von der Heydt.

Goddess (Uma or Durga) From Phnom Bakheng, Cambodia, early 10th century Sandstone Height 121 cm Museum Rietberg Zurich (RHI 5) Baron Eduard von der Heydt Collection

by Katharina Epprecht, Curator of Japanese Art at the Museum Rietberg Zurich.

The author and curator of the museum's inaugural exhibition `KANNON - Divine Compassion: Early Buddhist Art from Japan' explains that rather than be guided exclusively by subject-matter in the selection of works, the decisions in assembling the exhibition were based on the expression, proportion and media of the individual objects and their visual compatibility with the whole, which will ideally ensue from a juxtaposition that makes thematic sense and is aesthetically satisfying. The exhibition revolves around Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion. Epprecht examines the cult of Kannon, and images of its many manifestations in temples in Japan. Works depicting the bodhisattva that appear at the exhibition are also discussed.

Juichimen Kannon Heian period, 12th century Hanging scroll, ink and colour on silk with cut gold and silver foil Height 169 cm, width 90 cm Nara National Museum National Treasure (Photograph © Nara National Museum)

Senju Kannon Kamakura period, 13th century Wood with gold leaf and lacquer Height 168.8 cm Chokoji, Hyogo prefecture Important Art Object (Photograph © Kyoto National Museum)

by Eberhard Fischer, Director Emeritus of the Museum Rietberg Zurich.

In his attempt to reconstruct the life of one of the greatest Pahari painters, the author examines the work of Manaku, son of Pandit Sue, who was, with 22 other descendants, one of the most influential Pahari artists of the 18th and early 19th centuries working at many courts in the western and central Pahari region. Using new evidence, several unpublished sketches, drawings and paintings, mostly from the Museum Rietberg's collection, the author presents a consistent stylistic development of paintings from Pandit Seu's workshop during the time when Manaku was its master. For example, the inclusion of naturalistic detail and observant portraiture distinguishes the work. On the basis of such material, the author suggests that Manaku was probably born around 1700 and died about 1760.

The Demon Hiranyaksha Attacks Varaha From the `Small Guler' Bhagavata Purana series By Manaku of Guler, c. 1750 Pigment and gold on paper Height 22 cm, length 32.5 cm Museum Rietberg Zurich Gift of Balthasar and Nanni Reinhart (RVI 1773) (Photography by Wettstein & Kauf)

Detail of Krishna in Dalliance From the `Second Guler' Gita Govinda series By a Master of the First Generation after Manaku and Nainsukh, c. 1760-65 Pigment and gold on paper Height 17.2 cm, length 27.5 cm On permanent loan to the Museum Rietberg Zurich (Photography by Eberhard Fischer)

In his lengthy review of Ronald G. Knapp's Chinese Houses: The Architectural Heritage of a Nation, Puay-peng Ho notes that the author has provided the background necessary to understand vernacular architecture of landlords, members of the gentry or scholars such as the Ming period literatus Xu Wei, and how he has brought such houses to life by enabling the reader to glimpse the interactive relationship between the dwelling and its inhabitant. In addition to providing an historical account and architectural analysis of the houses, Knapp also brings the readers up to date on the impact of the Cultural Revolution or recent efforts at modernization.

The Facades of Wu Fang Ting By Robert Powell (b. 1948), 2003 Watercolour on paper Height 75 cm, length 190 cm (After Knapp et al., pp. 158-59)

This year, a visit to The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) - staged for the twentieth time from 9 to 18 March - is a must for all curators, connoisseurs and collectors of Asian art. A greater number of leading dealers in this field will be among some 218 exhibitors in Maastricht showing art and antiques valued at over US$1 billion. The organizers, including Ben Janssens who is on the committee, have consciously broadened the fair's appeal in recognition of the increasing importance of the Asian market.
Janssens is confident that the inclusion of more Asian art will attract new visitors from the region. He will show a range of early Chinese works including two notable archaic bronze vessels and a Han period tripod cup of pale green jade with russet markings. The cup is devoid of any ornament and its walls are almost translucent. Janssens notes that such early forms are rare as the cup would have been cut from a relatively large block of precious material and hollowing it out would have been an extravagance. As the shape has parallels in lacquer forms of the period, the cup will offer an interesting contrast when displayed alongside Janssens' recently acquired collection of lacquerware from the later Song, Yuan and Ming periods.

Cup China, Han period, 3rd/2nd century BCE Jade Height 4.8 cm, diameter 9.5 cm Ben Janssens

After an absence of ten years, John Eskenazi returns to what he believes has become a leading international art fair. One of his most important sculptures is a 4th/5th century stucco figure of a bodhisattva, still with traces of pigment, that embodies the cosmopolitan sophistication of Gandhara. Dressed as an Indian noble, the image wears a princely robe that alludes to Hellenistic fashions and has an elaborate coiffure adorned with jewellery. An intense and compassionate gaze, which draws the viewer to its face, suggests that this is Padmapani. Among his early pieces is a 2nd/1st century BCE terracotta plaque from Chandraketugarh which depicts a riverside scene with figures including a man and two women - one cradling a baby - in a boat, deer, a peacock and a mandolin player.

Bodhisattva Gandhara, 4th/5th century Stucco with traces of pigment Height 140 cm John Eskenazi

Antwerp-based Marcel Nies will also be showing a good selection of religious sculptures and objects from the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, each one, according to Nies, a worthy representative of the individual genius which resulted from different artistic and intellectual disciplines over the periods. Good examples of Ming hardwood furniture are now rarely found on the market, however, Grace Wu has recently acquired two fine examples in huanghuali. A large painting table, with a single-panel top and recessed legs, is of almost perfect proportions and with an excellent patina; its cloud-shaped spandrels are particularly unusual as ear-shaped ones are more commonly seen. Equally appealing to collectors is a sloping-style wood-hinged cabinet with beautifully figured burlwood door panels providing a contrast to its simple lines.
Littleton & Hennessy were conscious of current trends and tastes when planning their selection of Chinese objects. Their star pieces include a Warring States bronze tapir inlaid with gold and turquoise which Rose Kerr has been researching and will contribute an essay in an accompanying catalogue. It has an impressive provenance having been owned by G.F. Reber, a prominent collector of impressionist and cubist art, and was exhibited in Berlin in 1929. A large Ming period jar covered with a white glaze has a rare decoration - incised in an unusual technique into the slip - of four melon plants, each attracting the attention of a squirrel. A Xuande mark-and-period `snowflake' dice bowl, one of a few known examples, is among their selection of monochrome wares.
Robert Hall is focusing on glass snuff bottles with red overlay. Red, a colour associated with happiness, was favoured by the Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. Although there are numerous other more unusual colours of overlay, it is in the use of red where the carvers' ability to create movement is most evident. Detailed auspicious motifs such as fish, mythical creatures and foliate designs can be seen on the ten examples in this exhibition. There will also be some hardstone, porcelain and enamel snuff bottles.
A Muromachi wood sculpture of Jizo Bosatsu with a sensitively rendered face highlights Zen Gallery's interests in East Asian sculpture.
A Kangxi period model of a palanquin containing figures of a mandarin and his consort enjoying tea can be seen at Vanderven & Vanderven. The details on the biscuit are charmingly highlighted with vivid enamels. It was formerly in the collection of Nellie Ionides. In addition to the gallery's extensive collection of export blue-and-white and famille-verte porcelain is a selection of early Chinese pottery wares. A three-tier oil-lamp, TL-tested to the Han period, is typically decorated with musicians and realistic and mythical animals depicting the afterlife.
Two pairs of unusual famille-rose porcelain figures of Dutch dancers from the Qianlong period inspired the title `Double Dutch' for Cohen & Cohen's display. One pair stands side by side, the other is poised mid-twirl; the Cohens believes that these pieces were produced as entertainment for the local market rather than as export items.
Jorge Welsh has a monumental blue-and-white garniture set of the Kangxi period comprising five pieces, including three baluster vases with domed covers and two beaker vases. According to Welsh there is only one other recorded set and it belonged to Augustus the Strong. The present set is particularly well modelled and finely painted with scenes of scholars, ladies and attendants engaged in leisurely activities, possibly representing the `Ten Scenes of the West Lake', a theme made popular by the Kangxi and Qianlong emperors.

The Arts of Pacific Asia Show in New York

High attendance at the first evening preview of the Arts of Pacific Asia Show (APA) last year convinced the organizers to stage another cocktail event from 6 to 9 pm on 21 March. Until 25 March, some 87 international dealers will offer works ranging from US$500,000 to a more accessible US$250 at the 69th Regiment Armory.
Leiko Coyle returns to the APA with a collection of early Tibetan paintings as well as sculptures from Tibet and India. Ritual objects are also of great interest to Coyle.
Another specialist in Tibetan art, Suzy Lebasi of Soo Tze Oriental Antiques is anticipating an enthusiastic response from collectors who are aware of the scarcity of good and fresh material. Her exhibition `The Gleam of Gold' comprises copper and bronze figures and wall plaques of various deities, illuminated paintings and woven textiles all enhanced with the use of gold. Among these is a large gilt repousse plaque of Vaishravana.
Eleanor Abrahams has a collection of Neolithic terracotta burial urns from the Swat area of the Indus Valley. She is confident that their ovoid shape and minimalist design will appeal to the contemporary aesthetics of collectors, architects and decorators. All have thermoluminescence tests from Oxford dating them to 1000 BCE-CE 1000.
Most notable among the Indian and Himalayan art sculptures being offered by Ramesh Kapoor and his son Suneet of Kapoor Galleries is an impressive wood image of the Buddha carbon dated to between 1290 and 1410; its robe is decorated with geometric patterns of the style prevalent in Nepalese sculpture of this period. The gallery considers it to be one of few extant life-size examples in such well-preserved condition. Indian miniatures will also be on view.

Buddha Nepal, 1290-1410 Wood Height 160 cm Kapoor Galleries

The selection of pottery sculptures being shown by Joey and Marc Richards are complemented by the more subtly sculpted vessels typical of the Warring States and Han periods as seen in a pair of massive painted hu of the latter period.
Sue Ollemans will show a collection of Ming period pierced jade plaques depicting various auspicious subjects. A highlight among her Mughal jewellery is a pair of 18th century gold bracelets decorated with confronting makara heads and inlaid with diamonds and green enamel.
Judith Rutherford has an interesting selection of textiles, including an uncut scholar's robe of the type worn by the Kangxi emperor. Also of note is an 18th century rank badge embroidered with a Paradise Flycatcher intended for the 9th rank, but deliberately crafted to appear as if it signifies the 5th.
Shalini Ganendra of The Private Gallery will feature contemporary Sri Lankan art in an exhibition titled `Serendipity in New York '07'. It brings together oil paintings by Druvinka Madawela, Nelun Harasgama and notably George Keyt, whose works have recently been achieving high prices at auctions, and bronze sculptures by Leela Bandaranaike Peries.
Orientations Gallery has chosen to focus on objects created during the Meiji period for the world's fairs and expositions in Philadelphia, Chicago and St Louis. These events gave Japan an opportunity to introduce its artistic vision to the West and would probably have included works by Unno Shomin who was appointed an Imperial Court Artist in 1896. His gold sculpture of the Buddha seated in a cave cast from bronze and with an ivory stand carved with lotus is included in this APA exhibition.
Bachmann Eckenstein's show has an emphasis on the Japanese tea ceremony - all the preparation utensils such as mizusashi, chashaku, chawan and chaire are displayed with a group of teabowls with Zen themes and some interesting paintings by Fukuda Kodojin, Muramatsu Ungai and Uragami Gyokudo.
Laurence Paul of Fleurdelys Antiquities returns with a wide range of unusual Chinese stands in various exotic woods.
L'Asie Exotique, another regular exhibitor, is showing an interesting group of Japanese works related to Edo period Kabuki theatre, Takeda ningyo and costumes.
Switzerland-based Robert Bigler will be sharing a stand with Vicki Shiba. Bigler will show a carefully selected group of Buddhist images and ritual objects from China and the Himalayas. Highlights include two 13th century works, a gilt-bronze Prajnaparamita from Nepal and an important Tibetan stupa featuring three seated buddhas.

Stupa Tibet, c. 15th century Gilt copper Height 20 cm Robert Bigler

Kashima Arts from Tokyo is another newcomer to the APA. They will be presenting their collection of Japanese paintings in the international arena for the first time.
Thomas Murray's exhibition will show how he has created a niche for himself in the art market by focusing on aesthetically compelling Buddhist sculpture, Southeast Asian textiles and gold jewellery, and works of various Neolithic cultures.
Islamic and Indian specialist Alexis Renard has ceramic tiles from the Ottoman world, a Samanid calligraphic bowl from Central Asia and an image of Tara of the Pala period are some of the tempting works at his stand.
Peter Vallin will show important examples of Chinese furniture and an eclectic group of ceramics and metal objects.
Sara Kuehn's Bronze Age objects include a good example of a compartmented gold bird with remnants of red pigment and, from the early Islamic to Mughal period, are jewellery, tiles, ceramics, bronzes and textiles.

In response to the excitement generated last year by contemporary Indian and Chinese art, the organizers of the International Asian Art Fair (IAAF) have invited more specialists in contemporary Indian and Chinese art. While several long-time participants of more historical media have retired or moved to other venues in the city, Kaikodo, whose exhibitions are already a staple on the Asia Week scene, will be among the newcomers to the fair. According to Howard and Mary Ann Rogers, `we have always been something of contrarians, and with some dealers deciding not to participate this year, we thought we'd do the opposite'. As the gallery is `quite well known among professionals in the field', they believe that the fair will give private collectors a chance to learn about them.
One constant is the benefit for the Asia Society on the opening night of 22 March, and strict vetting procedures are still in place. And, as noted by James Lally, one of the city's leading dealers of Asian art, the fair remains quintessential to the allure of Asia Week and all the satellite exhibitions it has spawned. Held this year at the Seventh Regiment Armory from 23 to 28 March.
Founding members The Chinese Porcelain Company have been unwavering in their support of the fair. An important component of the IAAF, their exhibition is one of the few that is wide-ranging in its presentation of Chinese pottery and porcelain created from the Neolithic era to the Qing period.
Joan Mirviss returns with a solo show for the celebrated ceramic artist Kakurezaki Ryuichi who works in the Bizen tradition. Not content to limit his creations to classic forms, his range is unmatched within the world of Bizen. Both his smooth and sensuous works and his rough, torn and thickly formed carved vessels have inspired other potters to imitate him. Mirviss will also have a selection of paintings by Maruyama Okyo and Nagasawa Rosetsu. Among her prints is an early impression of Utagawa Hiroshige's snow scene from The 53 Stations of the Tokaido.
Hiroshi and Harumi Yanagi will once again have a stunning and dramatically lit arrangement to display an impressive group of Buddhist and Shinto sculptures dating from the Heian to Edo period. Another special feature this year is a collection of tea-ceremony wares including bowls, ewers, flower vases and incense boxes by the Buddhist nun Otagaki Rengetsu inscribed with her moving waka poems.

Seated figure Japan, 14th century Wood Height 40 cm Hiroshi and Harumi Yanagi

Highlights in the selection being shown by Erik and Cornelia Thomsen include a Muromachi period jar that was included in an exhibition of Shigaraki ware at the Miho Museum in 1999, and a Edo period lacquer suzuribako decorated with an inlaid silver moon and calligraphy.
After a decade at the fair, Gregg Baker has taken a larger more prominent stand to enhance his display of some forty screens, including many Edo six-panel examples. Particularly appealing is a two-fold screen of several cranes on a gold ground.
Jean and Clifford Schaefer of Flying Cranes believe it is essential their collection, representing the incredible and innovative skills of Meiji period craftsmen, remains an integral part of the event. Over the past year they have been acquiring objects in gold lacquer, such as inro and other small containers for the fair. They were elated to find an important and beautiful Ozeki koro with its original stand.
Mitsuru Uragami of Uragami Sokyu-do will be focusing on the `Yue Animal Kingdom', which features a selection that he has assembled over the past fifteen years. The highlight is a group of more than 100 `frog-shaped' vessels. The accompanying catalogue consists of 249 Yue ware animal forms, including sheep, lions, bears, dogs, pigs and chickens.
Kagedo Japanese Art will show ceramics by Isamu Noguchi and Kamoda Shoji, paintings by Matsubayashi Keigetsu and Nishimura Goun, bronzes by Yamashita Tsuneo and Sasaki Shodo and basketry by Izuka Rokansai.
Robert Winter promises another spectacular exhibition of Japanese armour. He considers a fireman's jacket and helmet from the defunct Kozu Kobunka Kaikan to be the finest in the world. Armour for children and surcoats made from peacock feathers, yak hair, gilded leather and rasha are equally attractive.
To complement their collection of Jomon and Yayoi period ceramics and Buddhist art, Mika Gallery will be presenting Rimpa School and literati paintings from their Tokyo associates Shouun Gallery. Of particular note among the latter is Uragami Gyokudo's well-documented Verdant Mountains Welcome Snow which was exhibited at the Okayama Prefectural and Chiba City museums last year.
In addition to an exhibition in her gallery, Jiyoung Koo of KooNewYork has also organized a thematic show for her stand at the fair titled `Buddhist Arts of Korea'. Among the sacred artefacts is an exciting new discovery, an important 17th century large gilt-wood seated bodhisattva still with its consecrated sutras. Such intact images are rarely seen outside Korea but there are some comparable examples in, for example, the Musee Guimet and the Burke collection. Other highlights include paintings of famed Buddhist monks, ritual accoutrements and altar tables.

Portrait of Buddhist Monk Muhak Kuksa Korea, 19th century Ink and colour on paper Height 124.5 cm, width 60 cm KooNewYork

Decorative and ink screens, ceramics, colourful wrapping cloths, and some folk and court paintings of note make up the exhibition `Dynamic Korea' organized by Keum Ja Kang of Kang Collection.
Sandra Whitman will once again have a collection of 17th and 18th century carpets from Ningxia which, according to her, are of a quality rarely seen today. A rug from the Yongzheng period illustrates how designs evolved - the lotuses are contained within a central medallion and the border features confronting dragons, and the palette is a more subdued blue and tan. Also of note is a Ming carpet with a particularly interesting history - it comprises four fragments of the massive border of a carpet which appears to have originally been about six metres long. Three other similar fragments are known and, according to Whitman, all seven were deaccessioned by the Asian Art Museum. The whereabouts of the centre field remains a mystery. Whitman's four joined fragments make a rug, more than 2.5 metres long, with extraordinary colours and design of quatrefoil lattice and lotus.
Encouraged by their success last year, Gallery Oi Ling return to the fair with an interesting selection of Chinese pottery sculptures. Their star piece is a grey horse accompanied by its groom, dated to the early Tang, and probably from Xian; it is exceptional in that the saddle retains much of its original polychrome floral pattern of the type seen on textiles found along the Silk Road.

Horse and groom China, Tang period (618-907) Pottery with pigment Heights 93 cm and 98 cm Gallery Oi Ling

Marc Richards has a selection of the most unusual pottery of eolithic, Han and Tang period he has amassed will be on view alongside works by current stars such as Zhang Xiaogang, Zeng Fanzhi, Zhang Huan and Yang Shaobin.

Police Series By Yang Shaobin (b. 1963), 1977 Oil on canvas Height 80 cm, width 50 cm Marc Richards

The Chinese artists represented by Martha Sutherland at the fair range from Hsia I-fu and Hsu Kuo-huang, both Taiwan masters in the traditional brush-and-ink idiom, to Chen Wenling whose provocative bronze sculptures reflect issues that confront modern Chinese society. There will also be some recent oil paintings by Yang Mian, whose one-man show is concurrently on view at her gallery.
The centrepiece of Douglas Dawson's show is a monumental megalith from Sumba representing the world's last living megalithic culture. There will also be some significant bronzes from Indonesia and Ayutthaya. Among a rare group of Ainu garments is a 19th century striped man's ceremonial robe.
Among Jonathan Tucker and Antonia Tozer's sculptures from India, Southeast Asia and China is a Sukhothai-style 15th century bronze bust of the Buddha from Kamphaeng Phet.
Sundaram Tagore will show works by Sohan Qadri, Natvar Bhavsar and Anil Revri.
Newcomers Ghangkhar Ah-Nhey's star piece is a 7th/8th century Sogdian silk riding coat. It is an unusually complete example with its designs still clearly visible - the sleeves are decorated with roundels of a duck holding a pearl necklace in its beak and a magnificent pair of confronting deer, also in roundels, appear on the front and back of the coat.
In an effort to draw attention to contemporary Japanese ceramicists working in traditional media, Art Miya will be showing a collection of Shigaraki, Kutani and Iga wares. There are also some innovative manga figures by Yabuuchi Satoshi, one of Japan's leading sculptors.
The loan exhibition this year features highlights from the China Institute's forthcoming exhibition of `Tea, Wine and Poetry: Drinking Vessels of the Scholars' featuring Yixing teawares. Yukio Lippit will give a lecture `Awakenings: Zen Figure Paintings in Medieval Japan' on 26 March and, on 27 March, Melissa Chiu will present `Ten Things you should know about Contemporary Art' and there will be a panel discussion `Exuberance and Refinement: Japanese Bamboo Baskets'.

by Margaret Tao and Orientations

Michael Cohn's exhibition `New Acquisitions', from 10 March to 10 April, features select works that are either from established collections or accompanied by scientific reports. Bronzes from Cambodia are well represented with an image of Vishnu displaying the simplicity and refinement of pre-Angkor sculpture, and a pair of palanquin hooks and rings decorated with lotus and nagas which have been scientifically dated to the 12th century.
As implied by its title `Japanese Choose Chinese Arts, Porcelains and Painting Themes', Koichi Yanagi's exhibition from 15 March to 10 April focuses on paintings by Japanese artists of Chinese themes and porcelains made in China for the Japanese market. One of the highlights is a striking hanging scroll by renowned artist Kano Motonobu which is a copy of a painting of Hotei by the Chinese artist Muqi that is now in the Kyushu National Museum, and was probably commissioned by a Muromachi period general. The work bears an inscription by Seian Soko, the 94th Daitoku-ji priest (d. 1562). Blue-and-white wares produced at the Jingdezhen kilns from 1621 to 1644 for export to Japan include a rectangular Kosometsuke bowl with a handle and landscape decoration. These porcelains continue to be highly prized by the Japanese as tea-ceremony wares. The show will feature six paintings and six porcelain groups.

Bowl China, late Ming period, c. 1621-44 Porcelain with underglaze cobalt-blue decoration Length 25 cm, width 18 cm `Japanese Choose Chinese Arts, Porcelains and Painting Themes' Koichi Yanagi Oriental Fine Arts

`Early Chinese Buddhist Sculpture' from 15 March to 14 April at Throckmorton features 25 limestone examples dating from the Wei to the Tang period. A seated image of the Buddha in marble from the latter period is of some note as is a group of early Northern Qi bodhisattvas that still retain their original pigment.

Seated Buddha China, Tang period (618-907) Marble Height 54 cm `Early Chinese Buddhist Sculpture' Throckmorton Fine Art

Michael Hughes promises a display of `spectacular museum quality' in a very ambitious exhibition titled `Sculpture and Figure Paintings from Diverse Asian Cultures: Works from India, Tibet, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Korea, Nepal & Burma'. Among the most unusual East Asian works are a Kamakura period gilt-bronze image of Nyorai in the Korean Silla style; a Liao period Avalokiteshvara in dry lacquer with red and gilt paint that Hughes compares with the Avery Brundage example in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco; and, from a renowned American estate, a wood image of Guanyin seated in royal ease, with an elaborate five-tiered tiara and robes with floral borders detailed in coloured pigments. The exhibition will be at Ingrao Gallery (16 to 24 March).
Beijing-based artist Yang Mian will be attending a reception at Martha Sutherland's gallery on 20 March for his first solo show in the US. His oils on canvas, dealing with social and cultural changes in contemporary Chinese life, have met with success at auctions in New York and Hong Kong. The exhibition runs from 17 March to 12 May.
The paintings of scholar's articles, writing paraphernalia, rank badges and garments used by men and women's fans, wrapping cloths, hair ornaments and bridal robes on view from 17 to 31 March at KooNewYork in an exhibition titled `Divided Domains: Art of Korea's Inner Quarters' give some insight into how the male-centred system of a Neo-Confucian society dictated literal and figurative partition between the sexes during the Joseon period.
Orientations Gallery and Robyn Turner Gallery will jointly be showing at the Helmsley Carlton House from 17 to 28 March. The former will be featuring Japanese works, many of them created by imperial court artists, that reveal elements of Persian, Indian or Chinese influences. Turner's collection of jade includes an ink stand, from a South American collection, in the form of a bench carved with the `Three Friends of Winter' motif. (By appointment tel: 1 212 772 7705.)
Eric Zetterquist's exhibition presents `Chinese Monochromes' from the Sui to the Yuan period (18 to 30 March). Zetterquist's recent acquisitions, especially the Song examples, appeal to established collectors and those interested in contemporary art. Some 25 bowls and vessels represent the various forms and glazing techniques produced at Yaozhou, Jun, Xing, Yue, Cizhou, Henan and Longquan, major kilns of the Song period.
Malcolm Fairley will be exhibiting with Chris Knapton and Nader Rasti and Cedric Curien at Alexander Gallery from 18 to 25 March. The strength of Fairley's show this year is lacquer, the most important being a pair of vases in the form of rope-tied bags, with their original stands, signed by Ochiai Kakushu. Representing Meiji period cloisonne is a large incense burner and cover, with a particularly intricate design of numerous birds among wisteria, signed by Inaba.
PaceWildenstein will once again be the venue for Eskenazi's exhibition. On view from 19 to 31 March is `Song: Chinese Ceramics, 10th to 13th century' comprising twenty entirely `fresh' examples. This is the third in a series of exhibitions of such material which began in November 2003. They objective was to represent as different kilns as possible and to include some `showstoppers' such as a carved meiping in exceptional condition. Its glaze of ivory hue is typical of the Northern Song Ding kilns and it has a vigorous decoration of scrolling peonies. Reflecting the taste of two connoisseurs is a Jun `bubble' bowl of the same period that formerly belonged to E.T. Chow and then J.M. Hu. Its shaded purple and mauve brushwork contrasts with the bright blue glaze. One of the most unusual examples in the show is a celadon-glazed jar boldly carved with geometric patterns from the Northern Song Yaozhou kilns. Only one other example is known to Eskenazi.

Bubble bowl China, Northern Song, 11th/12th century Jun ware Diameter 8.9 cm `Song: Chinese Ceramics, 10th to 13th century' Eskenazi at PaceWildenstein

The nineteen pieces on view in `Classical Chinese Furniture and Scholar's Objects from the 17th - early 19th Centuries' at MD Flacks cover a variety of forms in the more rare huanghuali and zitan woods. The show, which runs from 19 to 28 March, also features works in jumu, cedar and ebony. Highlights among the huanghuali examples include a diminutive yokeback chair, that was probably for use in a covered sedan, and an impressive continuous horseshoe-back chair with fluid, elegant lines.
Immediately following his exhibition at the fair in Maastricht, John Eskenazi will show a selection of recent acquisitions of Gandhara and Indian art at MD Flacks.
Recent works by Liu Dan and Li Junyi will be included in the exhibition `Contemporary Trends in Chinese Ink Painting' at The Chinese Porcelain Company from 19 to 31 March. Liu Dan continues to produce in Beijing large scale imaginary landscapes and depictions of rocks in ink. The gallery anticipates that collectors who have been waiting to acquire his work will be queuing up. The works by Li Junyi reflect his deep interest from an early age in Eastern Han stone stelae. He has been creating visually serene and technically innovative compositions by using a gridline system and simple cork stamp.
Since moving his gallery from Germany to New York in September 2006, Erik Thomsen has found business a lot more brisk. His exhibition `Kakejiku: Japanese Scroll Paintings 1700-1900' from 19 March to 11 April features works by Shibata Zeshin and Hakuin Ekaku.
Littleton & Hennessy are holding their second exhibition featuring artists from the `Nanjing School of Painting'. From 19 March to 3 April, visitors can see works by prominent members of the school like Xu Lei, Xu Liang, Xu Lele, Zhu Daoping and Chen Chuanxi.
Weisbrod Chinese Art is celebrating its 35th anniversary this spring. From 19 March to 4 April, they will be presenting a wide-ranging exhibition that includes archaic jades and bronzes, blue-and-white porcelain and sculptures. Highlights include Song ceramics from the collection of Donald Sherwin, and a seated wood bodhisattva from the Liao or Song period.
Visitors to Anthony Lin's exhibition `Mystical Colours' will be challenged to identify hidden symbolic meanings in the Chinese works of art on view at Hazlitt, Gooden & Fox from 20 to 28 March. A series of themes will be addressed through groupings of works, from early sculptural figures and animals in bronze and pottery, to light and incense paraphernalia in various materials dating from the Warring States to Qing period, and floral forms in black-and-white ceramic wares of the Tang and Song periods. Making a bold statement is an impressive and realistic horse of the Tang period, with distinct white dappled designs. Its saddle blanket, harness and medallions, with frogs in high relief, are decorated with a sancai glaze, and a flesh-toned slip has been applied to its body. Another intriguing piece is a bronze recumbent bull which Lin dates to the Xixia period, comparing it to a published excavated example from a tomb of the same date.
London Gallery in association with Sebastian Izzard is presenting `Scrolls of Faith' at the latter's gallery from 20 to 28 March. The title derives from the important Buddhist sutras and illustrated narratives on view, such as a mid-Heian version of the Lotus Sutra and a Kamakura period Shui-kotoku den handscroll, both now mounted as hanging scrolls.

Buddha Japan, Kamakura period (1185-1333) Wood with gold, polychrome and inlaid crystal eyes Height 57.5 cm `Scrolls of Faith' London Gallery at Sebastian Izzard

One of New York's most established Asian art dealers, E & J Frankel is celebrating with `Four Decades: 40th Anniversary Retrospective', their hundredth exhibition. The diverse group of 85 Chinese works of art has also been selected to appeal to the current tastes of Chinese collectors, such as a finely carved Qianlong period double-gourd vase in white nephrite. An 18th century blanc-de-chine figure of Wenchang and Kuixing is one of the works that has been in the Frankels' collection for thirty years. The show will be on view from 22 March to 28 April.
Flying Cranes will show some 100 bamboo ikebana baskets. An unusual Chinese-style example, with a removable handle and an imaginative weaving technique, is accompanied by a beautifully crafted kiriwood box signed `Made by Chikuyusai I' and dated 1820.
Among the most distinctive works on view at Andrew Kahane are a 12th/13th century crowned image of the Buddha in Angkor style from Lopburi and a 13th/14th century gilt-bronze figure of a Green Tara made in Nepal for the Tibetan market.
L'Asie Exotique's exhibition `Gosho Ningyo' opens on 17 March from 6 to 9 pm, and can be viewed thereafter by appointment until mid-June (tel: 1 212 366 4166). The Japanese wooden dolls were originally created in the Kyoto area for the imperial household as gifts for visiting emissaries, hence gosho (imperial palace). There are many extant examples with a great variety of imagery symbolizing good fortune.
Richard Gien's exhibition of Chinese and Japanese ceramics is by appointment (tel: 1 212 633 2106).

Over the last few years, Fuller Building at 41 East 57th Street has become a magnet for visitors to Asia Week: the galleries of J.J. Lally and Carlton Rochell are located here and, this year, at least eight other international dealers will be leasing temporary space for the event. Hundreds of collectors, dealers and museum curators are expected at the openings of these shows, which are coordinated for 19 March from 5 to 9:30 pm.
The timing of J.J. Lally's exhibition `Chinese Ceramics A.D. 400-1400' is perfect as collectors are now aware that Song and earlier ceramics of great quality can be obtained at a fraction of the escalating prices for later porcelains. The Yaozhou kilns are represented by a Northern Song ewer carved in relief with peony blossoms and complete with its cover. The bright red and blue glazes of the Jun kilns can be seen on two examples dating to the Jin period: a dish, formerly from the collection of Lord Cunliffe and the rarest of the glazes produced at the Ding kilns is represented by a russet-brown porcelain cupstand of elegant form. The exhibition runs until 31 March.

Wine bottle China, Song period (960-1279) Cizhou ware Height 20 cm `Chinese Ceramics A.D. 400-1400' J.J. Lally & Co.

Carlton Rochell has also placed great emphasis on masterpieces from private collections in his exhibition `Sacred and Sublime: Art from India and Southeast Asia'. Gandharan sculpture has a strong presence this year, notably an example that had been sold to a European collector by Spinks. While typically Indian in spirit and subject, the rendition of this impressive 3rd century schist bodhisattva, possibly Avalokiteshvara or Maitreya, is greatly influenced by Hellenistic and Central Asian cultures. Hybridity is also a characteristic of a 3rd century limestone niche from Bactria, a finely carved pensive bodhisattva seated beneath an architectural archway; but it appears to be closer to the Hellenistic and Roman traditions. Representing the Southeast Asian section is a bronze Buddha with all the characteristic features of the Mon-Dvaravati School, a particularly fine and well-preserved example, and several important thangkas are on view. The exhibition continues until 30 March.

Portrait of a Drigung Hierarch Tibet, 14th century Thangka, distemper on cloth Height 54 cm, width 42.9 `Sacred and Sublime: Art from India and Southeast Asia' Carlton Rochell Asian Art

Rossi & Rossi return to Neuhoff Gallery with an exhibition titled `Tibetan Encounters: Contemporary meets Tradition'. Seventeen Tibetan artists, living in Lhasa or abroad, created works in a wide variety of media specifically for the event in response to the Rossis' selection of early, traditional Tibetan paintings and sculpture. While these works provide continuity with the past, it is evident from their vitality and quality that Tibetan artistic production is undergoing a renaissance. Among the artists represented are Dedron, Tsering Nyandak, Gade, Gonkar Gyatso, Losang Gyatso and Kesang Lamdark. This exhibition continues until 27 March, and will run concurrently with `Buddhist Bronzes from the Sandor P. Fuss Collection', featuring one of the finest collections in private hands of sculpture from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Tibet and Mongolia. Among the 23 examples, dating from the 7th to 18th century, is a circa 13th century gilt-copper alloy image of Padmapani which represents the best of classic Nepalese sculpture. A 14th century image of Vasudhara, possibly from Densatil, is another powerful work.

Padmapani Nepal, c. 13th century Gilt-copper alloy with semi-precious stones Height 38 cm `Buddhist Bronzes from the Sandor P. Fuss Collection' Rossi & Rossi at Neuhoff Gallery

Carlo Cristi's exhibition `Artworks and Textiles from the Himalayas and Central Asia', at AFP Galleries until 28 March, includes two attractive bronzes of Avalokiteshvara and Vasundhara from Nepal and some important manuscripts and thangkas from West Tibet. A selection of Gupta period terracotta images from eastern India, and textiles from Central Asia and China dating from the 7th/8th century complete his show.
Gisele Croes will include a number of luxury objects and elaborate adornments of the Liao elite in her show `Gold and Silver: Treasures of Ancient China'. A magnificent gilt-silver crown reveals how animal motifs evolved from the realistic to the more mythical depictions of dragons. Earlier works include an exceptionally powerful Warring States bronze lampstand with silver inlay of a quality rarely seen today. Stylistic influences from the West can be seen in an Ordos silver-and-gold dagger with a horse's head of the Six Dynasties period.
Croes is also interested in the technological characteristics of artistic development in Chinese art. The gallery has established a reputation for research that is substantiated by scientific analysis, especially in the field of archaic bronzes. A pan with turtle and fish motifs is testimony to the mastery of the casting process during the Shang period, and an imposing horse demonstrates how this technique evolved during the Han period to create sculptures of exceptional size and quality. The exhibition takes place at Nohra Haime's gallery from 20 to 29 March.

Lampstand China, Warring States period (475-221 BCE) Bronze with silver inlay Height 35 cm `Gold and Silver: Treasures of Ancient China' Gisele Croes at Nohra Haime

`Early Japanese Art - Jomon, Yayoi, Kofun' opens at Mika Gallery on 6 March and runs until 28 March. An important earthenware vessel in the sculptural Kameoka style and Kofun period metalwares are among the highlights. Running concurrently from 19 March is a show titled `Monk' which includes portraits, sutras and dream journal relating to the monk Myoe.
Frederick and Joan Baekeland of Toyobi, established private dealers, have decided to raise their profile during Asia Week by holding an exhibition with Beatrice Chang of Dai Ichi Arts. `Japanese Paintings and Calligraphy/Contemporary Japanese Ceramics' is on view at Jonathan O'Hara Gallery from 19 to 26 March. Toyobi has selected a group of calligraphy and Nanga School paintings appropriate for the tea ceremony to display alongside the natural forms and subtle glazes of the ceramic creations by artists represented by Chang.
Traditional ink paintings from the Ami, Kano, Obaku, Zenga and Rimpa Schools will form the basis of `In Japanese Taste', an exhibition by Carole Davenport at Meridian Gallery until 28 March. They are complemented by a collection of No masks, Shigaraki and Kakiemon ceramics. The striking sculptures include a late Heian period seated Kannon once in the collections of Alice Boney and Hugo Munsterberg.
B.C. Dentan and Alan Kennedy are exhibiting at the James Goodman Gallery until 25 March. The exhibition `Extreme Orient - Chinese Imperial Costumes & Textiles and the Art of Japan' reflects the level of artistic achievement seen in works of the Qing and Edo periods, and the high status of the patrons who commissioned these works. An embroidered silk and gold altar frontal was made by the imperial workshops in Beijing and also of note is a Japanese hanging scroll woven with a Buddhist invocation.
Anthony Smith's exhibition at Susan Aberbach Fine Arts until 28 March features Rearngsak Boonyavanishkul's paintings of Balinese and Thai dancers.

Asian art dealers at 5 East 57th Street will be jointly promoting their exhibitions with receptions on 19 March. Leon and Karen Wender of China 2000 will present `Shao Yixuan and the Beijing Salon' until 21 April. The 26 works particularly emphasize Shao's special relationship with Qi Baishi. The range of subjects is diverse but the abstract brushwork is consistently free and spirited, and his collaborative efforts with other 20th century masters is revealed in the inscriptions.
John Berwald's exhibition `Recent Acquisitions' succeeds in tracing the development of Chinese ceramic traditions from the Western Han to the Qing period. The works range from a group of realistically modelled green-glazed camels and attendants of the Southern Dynasties period to a Yongzheng mark and period chrysanthemum dish featuring an unusual brown glaze.
On note in China Gallery's exhibition `A Creative Spirit' is a Cizhou pillow in the form of a lotus leaf on a square base with a bold painting of a bear and a Han period brick engraved with decorative hunting scenes.
Rather than returning to the International Asian Art Fair this year, London-based Priestley and Ferraro will also be taking space at 5 East 57th Street.

The exhibition `New Ink Story: The Master and the Student: Liu Kuo-Sung and Lee Chun-Yi' at Galerie Leda Fletcher in Geneva from 19 February to 18 March is an attempt to highlight Liu Guosong's contributions to modernizing Chinese traditional ink painting and also to reveal his profound impact on his students, as seen in the works of Lee Chun-yi.

Kaikodo's exhibition `The Aesthetics of Change' will be on view at their 79th Street premises from 18 March to 18 April. Referring to more than just the works of art on display, the show's title, according to Howard Rogers, was suggested by `the enormous transformation of our professional and personal lives'. Spring 2007 promises to be a season of exciting developments for the gallery: it is participating in the International Asian Art Fair for the first time and a new volume of the Kaikodo Journal will be launched - the first since 2002. In an interview Orientations catches up with Howard and Mary Ann Rogers about `changes'.

Bianhu China, Xixia period (1038-1227) Stoneware with black glaze Height 27.4 cm `The Aesthetics of Change' Kaikodo

by Peter Marks, formerly a dealer in South Asian art, has recently discovered he is clairvoyant.

After decades of legal wrangling and pressure from the US State Department, the J. Paul Getty Museum returned all its antiquities to Greece, Italy, Turkey and other cultural property source countries. The vacant replica of a Pompeian villa in Malibu that housed its collections of ancient art has been converted to a Graeco-Roman theme park. It has become the most visited tourist destination in California, overtaking Disneyland and Universal Studios. The Vestal Virgins and the Roman Orgy Experience have proved to the most popular attractions. Criticism from a UCLA classicist that Vestal Virgins did not actually wear gold lame and stiletto heels was brushed aside by the Getty as `academic nit-picking'. The only remaining artefact from the original collections, the large stone kouros in the archaic style, a 20th century fake - that Greece declined as part of their return agreement - is now the advertising logo for the park. Six-inch-high replicas in realistic faux stone are sold in the gift shop.
Museums continue to be concerned with provenance as the principal issue in acquisition policies. The date of ratification of the UNESCO Convention, 1970, as the magic number allowing museums to acquire objects has long been replaced by current guidelines permitting each source country to establish its own dates. Turkey has regulations that `nothing produced after man walked erect' may legally be exported or acquired by any foreign museum. Rumours of neglect of reserve collections in state museums in Istanbul, Ankara and elsewhere have been hotly denied as `neocolonialist propaganda' and requests for international inspections have been stonewalled.
While American imports of antiquities and cultural property have slowed to the barest trickle due to vigorous enforcement of import controls by US Customs, collectors and museums overseas have developed a go-go market for ancient and ethnographic objects. Museums in Germany, Switzerland and Japan have doubled or tripled their collections of cultural objects in recent decades. But it is Dubai that has emerged as the market's hot centre. Its Museum of World Art (MWA) continues to grow as hundreds of millions of petrodollars are spent on acquisitions annually. MWA's charismatic director Abu Malik, 64, smiled wistfully as he recalled buying a late Chagall watercolour, Flying Cow, for US$100 million in 2032. `You couldn't touch it for that now. Those were the days,' he said.
The power generated by the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze river that inundated thousands of archaeological sites, has contributed significantly to China's status as the world's largest economy. The Minister of Economic Development, Mr Shan Zu, 58, has announced plans for three new hydroelectric projects that `will make Three Gorges look like a bath tab'. Anxieties in the scholarly community about further archaeological destruction have been dismissed. `We have enough of that old stuff already,' the ministry said. When it was pointed out that there was a paradox between the indifference to preserving antiquities within China and the continuing and aggressive demands for the return of bronzes, paintings and ceramics from museums and collections abroad, the Minister for Culture, Dr Han Shen, 27, remarked that `Paradox is the Chinese way'.
The American Institute of Archaeology (AIA), whose six-member Provenance Enforcement Council provides acquisition oversight to museums, announced that for the twentieth straight year not a single antiquity or cultural object had entered museum collections, either by purchase or gift. AIA also expressed satisfaction that it had successfully lobbied Congress to rescind tax deductibility for gifts to museums and educational institutions for any art object, ancient or contemporary. While not admitting that these developments might have a cooling, if not chilling, effect on public access to ancient artefacts and understanding of the past, it nevertheless has recommitted itself to the mission of public education. `The Wonderful World of Shards', an exhibition travelling to eight venues, is drawn from the storeroom collections of the University Museum in Philadelphia. `It has been a blockbuster,' a spokesperson for AIA announced. No attendance figures were available.
The American Association of Museums (AAM) issued a strongly worded statement disapproving of the fees charged by countries for loan exhibitions. `Fifty million dollars, even for King Tut, is a bit much,' said Oscar Davenport, 37, director of The Cleveland Museum of Art. `And we won't even see a nickel from catalogue sales,' he added. Similar complaints were heard from other members of the American Association of Museum Directors. The AAM objections were denounced by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture as `an insidious plot, part of America's ongoing, misguided, imperialist Middle East policy'.
In 2024, armed agents of US Customs closed down and confiscated objects from `Inca Madness', an exhibition of Pre-Columbian ceramics, gold and silver from the collection of Marshall Bratwurst, the hedge fund tycoon, 74, and his third wife Tiffany, 23. The Bratwurst objects have been in Customs custody for 33 years; a date for their release has not been determined. `I speak for the both of us when I say that this situation totally sucks,' Mrs Bratwurst said. As a result, private collectors have ceased lending objects to public exhibitions. Many have put their art into deep storage, replacing them with digital images on high definition computer screens. Art historians have applauded this new way of displaying art. `A photograph is just as good, better really, then the actual work, because tactile issues distract from reading the semiotic message in the visual text. Connoisseurship is part of an archaic elitist agenda that went out with Beauty and Quality.' Art book publishing has also suffered as collectors have nixed having their objects illustrated and subject to possible confiscation.
The British Museum continues steadfastly to resist demands by the Greek government to return the Parthenon marbles. The classical masterworks have not been seen publicly since 2043 when a Greek nationalist extremist smeared the metope reliefs with spinach pie and feta cheese. The museum's Duveen Gallery is closed indefinitely. `The acidity of feta cheese is especially corrosive to marble,' a spokesperson for the conservation department said. Meanwhile, in Greece, culture authorities denied that feta cheese was detrimental to marble. `Rigorous scientific tests clearly indicate that feta is less corrosive than English stilton. The accusation is typical English chauvinism.'
Few people know or care about the distant past or tribal societies nowadays. Private and public collecting of antiquities and ethnographic objects have come to be equated with some of the worst excesses of the 20th century: smoking, wearing fur and reading long books without pictures. Children in immigrant communities in the United States have no opportunities to see the artefacts of their traditional cultural patrimonies because museum galleries have been cleared of all such detritus. `My teacher told me if I want to know what Indian art is I should to go to India,' said Anand Krishna, 12. `But I can't afford that. I mean, like, I'm just a kid.'