This new exhibit gives you an opportunity to see a fresh installation of SAM's renowned Chinese art at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Started by Dr. Richard E. Fuller, the founding director of the Seattle Art Museum, and his family from the early decades of the last century, the collection contain... Read more
This new exhibit gives you an opportunity to see a fresh installation of SAM’s renowned Chinese art at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. Started by Dr. Richard E. Fuller, the founding director of the Seattle Art Museum, and his family from the early decades of the last century, the collection contains representative works from each dynastic period, and it is particularly strong in jades, ceramics and sculpture. Subsequent directors and curators of Chinese art have strengthened other areas of the collection, notably painting, calligraphy, bronzes, and, most recently, contemporary Chinese art.
In addition to showing artwork from all periods of Chinese history, Chinese Art explores three main areas. One is jades and celadons (a type of pottery with a distinctive green glaze). Both mediums have long been admired for their translucence and unctuous quality. Their juxtaposition shows that jade carvers and potters have influenced each other. Another is painting and calligraphy. The most revered art forms in China, until now they have not been given due attention in Seattle. Finally, a display on the art of Chinese tiles demonstrates a form that is well regarded in the West as a component of architecture, in contrast to the preferences of traditional Chinese connoisseurs. Thus, this exhibit is not only a survey of the arts from China, but also a chronicle of Seattle’s shifting interest in Chinese art.
Josh Yiu, Foster Foundation Assistant Curator
of Chinese Art
This exhibition is generously supported by the Seattle Art Museum Supporters (SAMS).
