Pacific Asia Museum opening new Gallery of Japanese Art

 

Cultural News, September 2006

 

Otagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875) Calligraphy on Printed Floral Paper. Edo period (1600-1868), 19th century. Hanging scroll: ink on paper. (Photo courtesy of Pacific Asia Museum)

 

    Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena opens an all-new permanent Gallery of Japanese Art. The museum’s collection of Japanese art has grown to over 4,000 works of art – more than one third of the entire permanent collection.

 

    It includes paintings, drawings, woodblock prints, textiles, costumes, ceramics, lacquer wares, ivories, metalwork, folk toys, furniture, and Buddhist and Shinto sculptures.

 

     Over the last two years, the museum has been planning a new Gallery of Japanese Art that permits showing more of the collection in rotating exhibitions.

 

      The new gallery’s display cases, door and wall details feature elements of traditional Japanese architecture.

 

     It also contains a small tatami-mat area with an alcove (tokonoma) where paintings, calligraphy scrolls, and flower arrangements are displayed as they would be shown in a traditional Japanese home, temple, or tea room.

 

    A spectacular feature of this gallery is the permanent installation of a 15th-century Buddhist temple ceiling -- the first of its kind in a West Coast museum, thanks to the generosity of donor Tom Grayson. Truly a rare sight outside of Japan, the temple ceiling provides a rich context in which gallery visitors can appreciate the art.

 

     The Gallery of Japanese Art’s first installation focuses on traditional Japanese aesthetics, demonstrating the variety of aesthetic styles in Japanese art. The simple, humble aesthetic is often referred to as wabi and is well represented by a ceramic sake bottle from the kilns of Bizen. This aesthetic is strongly tied to the tea ceremony, which has its roots in Shinto, Zen, and samurai culture.

 

     Miyabi, a more elegant, courtly aesthetic, is exemplified in lacquer wares such as an exquisite tray decorated with a heron and lotuses and in the ethereal calligraphy produced by the Buddhist nun, Otagaki Rengetsu. 

 

     Kabi, a sumptuous, flamboyant aesthetic enjoyed by the townspeople and exported widely to the West, is apparent in woodblock prints and in Imari porcelains such as a dish decorated with vivid enamels.

 

     Finally, the playful, humorous aesthetic, asobi, can be observed in many Zen paintings, folk art objects, and in netsuke.

 

      The Gallery of Japanese Art is a fabulous new home for an outstanding collection of Japanese art.

 

      The Gallery of Japanese Art has been made possible by the generous support of the Carpenter Foundation, Toshie and Frank Mosher, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Setsuko Oka. 

 

     Pacific Asia Museum is located at 46 North Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena.  Admissions are $7 for general and $5 for students and seniors. For more information, call (626) 449-2742 or visit www.pacificasiamuseum.org.