Summer of China (in Milwaukee)

Exhibit:  The Emperor’s Private Paradise:  Treasures from the Forbidden City

On Wednesday, my father and I attended (except for Teri) the pre-celebration of a ground-breaking exhibit of furniture, artwork, calligraphy, screens, paintings and personal effects of Emperor Qian Long (Qing Dynasty 18^th c. 60 year reign and prolific supporter of the arts).  These objects had been recently restored  and are being shown for the first time anywhere.  This exhibit began at the Peabody (Massachusetts), traveled next to the Metropolitan (NYC) museum with its final venue is here at the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM).  The pieces are dramatically and elegantly displayed and as my father the art historian stated, “They look better than in their native [Forbidden City] environment!”

A note about the MAM.  The Quadracci Pavillion which houses the exhibit was designed by Santiago Calatrava, a Spanish architect, and opened in 2001.  It is a beautiful sleek white marble addition which has moveable wings that when extended resembles a whale’s tail suspended above the surface as it dives into the deep.  It has become the architectural signature of Milwaukee.

There are also four side exhibits including a personal one entitled “Emerald Mountains:  Modern Chinese Ink Paintings from the Chu-tsing Li Collection”.  We are excited that my father’s collection and his discerning eye for contemporary Chinese art are on display here.  In fact, quite a number of the pieces have adorned our walls and it is cool to see them shown formally in museum format.  My father is very pleased with the results.  Ying Wang his former mentee served as guest curator and did a wonderful job of selecting and arranging.  One displayed work done by a Vancouver woman painter Koo Mei was painted especially for Teri.  For those of you visiting between June 11 and September 11, we hope you can view the treasures and ink paintings.  Click on the Milwaukee Art Museum link just to the right of the blog for more details.