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).

China and Taiwan Reunite Painting

The bulk of the artworks in the National Palace Museum, Taipei are from 2,972 crates of shipped artifacts that once made up the imperial collections of the Forbidden City, Beijing

China and Taiwan Reunite Painting - NYTimes.com

By ANDREW JACOBS (NYT)
The reunification of an ancient painting at a museum in Taiwan has become a metaphor for the possibility of reconciliation between the two countries.

Link to the website (which was very difficult to find) on the exhibit: Landscape Reunited

more Mary-Louise Schumacher on Ai Weiwei and MAM's "Summer of China"

Day 70: What can they do to me? - Art City

www.jsonline.com

 

Today marks the start of the “Summer of China,” so declared by our mayor, and the opening of the unprecedented exhibit “The Emperor’s Private Paradise” at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

 

 

How the Milwaukee Art Museum snagged the big China show - Art City

www.jsonline.com

 

For the very first time, China’s Palace Museum had authorized a major exhibition of art objects from the Forbidden City to travel to the United States, but officials there would be particular about who they’d trust their treasures to.

 

Lee Ann Garrison on Milwaukee Art Museum's "Summer of China"

A vast China show at the Milwaukee Art Museum | ThirdCoast Digest

thirdcoastdigest.com

A once-in-a-lifetime convergence of Chinese art from the Forbidden City and beyond.

Mary-Louise Schumacher on the Milwaukee Art Museum's "Summer of China"

Review: 'The Emperor's Private Paradise' at the Milwaukee Art Museum - Art City

www.jsonline.com

The Qianlong emperor, aside from being the longest ruling emperor in China’s history, was also the most painted. He was famously image conscious with fleets of artists who were his era’s equivalent of handlers and spin doctors. He commissioned paintings of himself mounted on a horse...

finally some interesting discussions on Ai Weiwei's detention...

Should the Milwaukee Art Museum protest Ai Weiwei's detention? - Art City

www.jsonline.com

The Milwaukee Art Museum is about to open a major exhibit organized in cooperation with China. Meanwhile, that country is jailing its contemporary artists, including its most famous living artist, Ai Weiwei.

Paper: Milwaukee Art Museum also punts on Ai | Tyler Green: Modern Art Notes | ARTINFO.com

blogs.artinfo.com

Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes features news, journalism and criticism about art, art museums and art exhibitions around the United States. Find breaking art news, visual art analysis, and modern art criticism.

 

With Ai detained, should VMFA deal with China? | Tyler Green: Modern Art Notes | ARTINFO.com

blogs.artinfo.com

Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes features news, journalism and criticism about art, art museums and art exhibitions around the United States. Find breaking art news, visual art analysis, and modern art criticism.

A scene from MCASD’s protest for Ai Weiwei | Tyler Green: Modern Art Notes | ARTINFO.com

blogs.artinfo.com

Tyler Green's Modern Art Notes features news, journalism and criticism about art, art museums and art exhibitions around the United States. Find breaking art news, visual art analysis, and modern art criticism.

New York Time's updates:

China: Dissident Artist Is Accused of Tax Evasion

By SHARON LaFRANIERE (NYT)

A company controlled by the dissident artist Ai Weiwei evaded a “huge amount” of taxes and intentionally destroyed financial documents, the government’s official news agency, reported Friday. 

Ai Weiwei Allowed First Visit After 43 Days of Detention

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (NYT)

The Beijing police allowed the wife of Ai Weiwei to see him at an undisclosed location, 43 days after his detention.