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Major Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Art from Sichuan to Open at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on March 6, Highlighting the Exciting World of Ancient Sichuan's Art and Culture
A significant traveling exhibition spotlighting the ancient artistry, material heritage, and spiritual lifestyle of Sichuan province will launch at The Metropolitan Museum of Art starting March 6, 2002. Treasures from a Lost Civilization: Ancient Chinese Art from Sichuan offers an exploration into the captivating universe of ancient Sichuan's art, artifacts, and spirituality, illuminating groundbreaking archaeological revelations that have reshaped our perception of Chinese artistic history.
Featuring works dating from around 13th century BCE to 3rd century AD, this exhibition showcases over a hundred objects including colossal bronze sculptures of deities, vivacious figures, fantastical bronze vessels, exquisite jade carvings, and spirited ceramic statues - many of which will be unveiled for the first time in the United States.
Organized by the Seattle Art Museum in partnership with The Bureau of Cultural Relics from Sichuan Province, People's Republic of China, this exhibition is made possible through a leadership grant provided by The Boeing Company. Major support comes from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, with additional funding from the National owment for the Arts.
The exhibition will also be supported by an indemnity offered by the Federal Council on the Arts and the ities, while at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it's made possible in part by The Dillon Fund.
In summer 1986, a groundbreaking archaeological discovery in Sanxingdui village, approximately 40 kilometers northeast of Sichuan province’s capital city, transformed China's cultural landscape. As construction workers unearthed two rectangular deposits rich with bronze artifacts, stone tools, gold items, and elephant tusks dating back roughly to the 12th century BCE, they stumbled upon what was thought a cultural backwater - but instead revealed the heartland of an advanced civilization boasting a sophisticated bronze-making industry and an extraordinary artistic tradition.
Standout pieces at this exhibition include a towering bronze figure of a man standing on a pedestal from around the 13th century BCE that stands at a whopping 260.8 cm tall, weighing in at 180 kg; a four-meter-tall bronze tree adorned with fantastic birds perched upon its branches; several giant bronze masks representing supernatural beings from approximately the same era; and dynamic ceramic sculptures from roughly the first to second century AD. These examples illustrate an unprecedented artistic tradition of remarkable strength that thrived in ancient Sichuan.
Accompanying the exhibition will be a fully illustrated catalogue, Ancient Sichuan: Treasures from a Lost Civilization, edited by Robert Bagley, an Art and Archaeology professor at Princeton University. It will be avlable for purchase at The Museum's Bookshop priced at $60 hardcover.
In tandem with the exhibition, engaging programs such as lectures, gallery discussions, films, among others, will also be offered.
Jason Sun, Associate Curator of Asian Art Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, will curate the exhibition in New York. Michael C. Batista designs the exhibition layout, while Jill Hammarberg provides graphics and Zack Zanolli handles lighting.
September 6, 2001
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Ancient Chinese Art from Sichuan Exhibition Metropolitan Museum of Art Showcases Treasures Lost Civilization of Ancient Sichuan Unveiled Bronze Sculptures Jade Carvings Highlighted Spirituality and Culture in Ancient China Sichuans Impact on Chinese Historical Perceptions