The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts opened it’s new East Asian Galleries on September 2.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The East Asian suite – about 5,000 square feet – is devoted to display 250 artworks in the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean galleries. Many of the works acquired in recent years will be on display for the first time. The new installation is arranged geographically and chronologically and will provide visitors with inspiration and a captivating experience of the history of East Asian art. Li Jian, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter curator of East Asian Art, oversaw the reinstallation.
“For more than 27 years, the Carpenter Foundation has supported the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ expansion, exhibition, and acquisition projects in addition to its support of the curatorial department,” Director Alex Nyerges said. “The East Asian galleries are the capstone of our permanent collections reinstallation and a rich and exciting new space for inspiration and study.”
Since VMFA opened in 1936, the museum has assembled nearly 2,000 works from China, Japan, and Korea. The collection includes paintings, prints, sculptures, ceramics, metalwork, lacquers, and decorative arts, ranging from a small jade bracelet to ritual vessels and life-sized Buddhist sculptures. The collection focuses on the themes of the Bronze Age, spread of Buddhism, cross-cultural influence, ceramic development scholars’ implements, samurai culture, tea ceremony, incense art, and export ceramics.
For additional information, telephone 804-340-1400 or visit www.vmfa.museum.