lecture at Milwaukee Art Museum: Emperor Qianlong & Tibetan Buddhism

The Qianlong Emperor as Manjusri,

the Bodhisattva of Wisdom,

 mid-18th century, Tibetan but 

face painted by Giuseppe

Castiglione (Lang Shining) ,

 (Italian, 1688-1766)

I am back in Milwaukee (Aug. 1-16) and I plan on going to this...  hope to see you there!

Lecture: Palace Tantra: Emperor Qianlong’s Fascination with Tibetan Buddhism

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4, 2011, 6:15 PM

Lubar Auditorium of the Milwaukee Art Museum

Free with Museum admission (first Thursdays of the month  are FREE!!!)

Explore the emperor's interest in Buddhism, as reflected in his art collection, with John Johnston, Coates-Cowden-Brown Curator of Asian Art, San Antonio Museum of Art.

Sponsored by the Fine Arts Society

This lecture is presented in conjunction with the Museum's summer-long CHINA series, five exhibitions covering 3,000 years of Chinese art and culture.

John Johnston assumed the Coates-Cowden-Brown Curatorship of Asian Art at the San Antonio Museum of Art (SAMA) in February 2009. Mr. Johnston received his training at the University of Hawaii (MA, 1995) and the Honolulu Academy of Arts. He has conducted lengthy art historical fieldwork in Bhutan, China, Thailand, and Japan. Previous work includes university-level teaching and auction house experience. Mr. Johnston's research interests include the Buddhist art of Bhutan, Chinese porcelain and ceramics, jade, and the history of printing. Mr. Johnston speaks locally, nationally, and internationally on these and other topics.

Articles by Mr. Johnston have appeared in Orientations, Arts of Asia, Far Eastern Economic Review, and other publications. He is co-author and co-curator of the internationally acclaimed catalogue and exhibition The Dragon's Gift: The Sacred Arts of Bhutan organized by the Honolulu Academy of Arts. Mr. Johnston is project director, curator, and catalogue co-author for the forthcoming international exhibition 5,000 Years of Chinese Jade Featuring Selections from the National Museum of History, Taiwan organized by SAMA (opens September 30, 2011). Exhibitions at SAMA curated by Mr. Johnston include Music in Medieval China, Seasons of Beauty: Yoshitoshi's Thirty-two Aspects of Daily Life, and the forthcoming exhibition Chinese Cricket Cages: The Ernest K.H. Lee Collection (opens December 9, 2011).