Exhibitions Archive - Asia
Secrets of the Silk Road
This exhibition explores the history of the vast desert landscape of the Tarim Basin, located in Western China, and the mystery of the peoples who lived there. Located at the crossroads between East and West, oasis towns within the Tarim Basin were key way stations for anyone traveling on the legendary Silk Road. Extraordinarily well-preserved human remains found at these sites reveal ancient people of unknown descent. Caucasian in appearance, these mummies challenge long-held beliefs about the history of the area, and early human migration. The material excavated suggests the area was active for thousands of years, with diverse languages, lifestyles, religions, and cultures present. This exhibit provides a chance to investigate this captivating material to begin to uncover some of the secrets of the Silk Road.
5/02/2011 - 5/06/2011
Penn Museum, Philadelphia, PA, USA
A Passage to Asia
Europe and Asia have had close relations for thousands of years. Commercial and political networks developed both on land - via the Silk Road - and on sea. Conquerors like Alexander the Great, Attila, and Genghis Khan set out in search of glory, wealth, and power; travellers like Marco Polo, Zheng He, and Magellan were fascinated by riches, silk, spices, porcelain, etc. This exhibition throws light on 2,500 years of exchanges between Asia and Europe and also between different Asian peoples. It presents an exceptional selection of over 300 decorative and artistic objects never previously shown in Europe: burial urns, bronze ritual drums, gold jewellery, ivories, old maps, and unique textiles, as well as extraordinary cargo recently recovered from shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea.
25/06/2010 – 10/10/2010
BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium
Portable Treasuries: Silver Jewelry from the Nadler Collection
Collectors Daniel and Serga Nadler have assembled a unique collection of silver jewelry from around the world, including massive neck ornaments, anklets, bracelets, complex earrings, and a wide variety of brooches and fibulae. The exhibition will present approximately 150 works, from North Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and the hill tribes of Southeast Asia. This marks the inaugural exhibition of the Nadler Collection, which was generously donated as a promised gift to the Museum of Arts and Design. The jewelry is beautifully crafted, and sadly is in diminishing supply; over the years, many works have been melted down for their silver.
16/02/2010 - 8/08/2010
Museum of Arts and Design, New York NY, USA
Precious Filigree of the Orient of XVII - XIX Centuries. From the Collections of the State Hermitage
The Hermitage collection of the Oriental filigree of XVII-XIX centuries is the richest collection in the world. The exhibition presents more than one hundred items that were stored in the collections of the Russian tsars already in XVII-XVIII centuries. The items comprise both filigree silver that belonged to Peter the Great, gold jewelry and the toiletry sets of Catherine the Great, as well as other works from the Treasury Gallery. This is the first time the collection has such a vast range of different exhibits. Several items were presented at the exhibition Chinese Export Art in Velikiy Novgorod in 2003.
1/06/2009 – 28/09/2009
State Stone-Cutting and Jewelry Art History Museum, Ekaterinburg, Russia
Tradition and Modernity - Oriental traditional jewellery in transition
More than 200 pieces of traditional jewellery, from the collections of Dr. Bir, Herman E. Rudolph, Dr Waltraud Ganguly, Inge Prokot and Sybille Jargsdorf, are displayed, including men's jewelry, coins and jewelry, the power of the scriptures, in the Sign of the Cross, the hand of Peace - hand of reconciliation, women's jewelry in India, Central Asia, turquoise jewelry, ring parable - Jewelry from Israel and Zar amulets from Egypt.
05/07/09 – 19/09/09
Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany
East Asian
Chinese
Wallace Chan
An exhibit of works by Wallace Chan of Hong Kong.
11/07/11 - October 2011
The GIA Museum, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA
Traditional Apparel and Jewelry of Rural China
This collection, consisting of a beautiful arrangement of Chinese clothing, jewelry and other artifacts often used by rural Chinese groups, belongs to Bob and Xinyan Weeks of Silver City. Mrs. Weeks was born and raised in the mountainous region of Guangxi Province, China. From 1992 to 2005, her collection expanded to over 100 items, each one representing to her an intriguing part of Chinese history. The collected items together tell different stories which Mrs. Weeks shares in the new exhibition.
15/03/11 - 31/05/11
The WNMU Museum, Fleming Hall, Silver City, New Mexico, USA
Manchu, the last empire.
The exhibition will present the precious collections from the old imperial capital of Mukden and the summer palace of Jehol, the legendary wardrobe of the Emperor's warriors, and the refined objects created by the finest artists of the Celestial Empire, not only jewels of exquisite workmanship in gold, jade and precious stones, but also musical instruments, weapons, harness for horses, along with historical evidence of the fatal confrontation with the West in the mid-nineteenth century culminating in the Boxer Rebellion in the summer of 1900.
23/10/2010 – 08/05/2011
Casa dei Carraresi, Treviso, Italy
Baba Bling. The rich culture of the Peranakan Chinese of South-east Asia
The objects shown - furniture, embroidered and beaded textiles, porcelain and jewellery - which are a combination of Malay and Chinese culture, epitomise the Peranakan. They date principally from the late 19th and early 20th century. This period corresponds to an important time of richness in the history of the Peranakan community of Singapore.
5/10/2010 – 30/01/2011
Musée du quai Branly, Paris, France
Baba Bling: Peranakan Family Jewels
This exhibition will showcase some of the finest jewellery from Peranakan families and private collectors. Over 300 glittering jewels will be on display, which includes some of the oldest surviving pieces of Peranakan jewellery from the 19th century to contemporary pieces worn today. Visitors will be able to marvel at exquisite jewellery from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
29/05/2009 - 13/12/2009
Peranakan Museum, Singapore
I Due Imperi
The Two Empires: the Eagle and the Dragon
Two ancient cultures collide in an exhibition where the Roman Empire meets the Chinese Qui and Han dynasties (200 BC-200 AD), considered a golden age in China’s history. The exhibition displays 450 similar yet contrasting artefacts relating to both empires. Jade, lacquer and silks combine with marble statues, glass, mosaics, silver and bronze. With the participation of almost 50 museums, the exhibition is the result of extensive collaboration between China and Italy and is held in honour of the Cultural Year of China in Italy. This is the first time many of the Chinese treasures have left China and in addition to the items on view, the exhibition examines the role that both cultures played in world civilisation and how their legacies have contributed to modern-day philosophy, engineering, arts and politics. It also highlights their differences and similarities: both empires regarded themselves as the centre of the world and both empires ultimately fell.
19/11/2010 - 6/02/2011
Palazzo Venezia, Rome, Italy
Vanishing Traditions: Textiles and Treasures from Southwest China
Showcasing wearable textiles and ornaments, this exhibition displays the life, culture, and continuing loss of adornment skills of the minority people who live in Southwest China. The exhibition curator, Bea Roberts, shares her visually superb collection, acquired during her early visits to the region, when the villages were primarily intact in their cultural identity and before the traditions vanish in today's globalization race.
10/10/2009 – 5/12/2010
Design Museum, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
Ethnic Costumes, Textiles & Jewellery
This exhibition features, among others, elaborate costumes worn by the womenfolk of ethnic communities in the Yunnan province and other hilltribes of the Golden Triangle region bordering Southern China, Burma and Thailand. Items include entire dresses, headdresses, accessories, jewellery and shoes. Also featured are Malay textiles such as songket (woven cloth from the East Coast of the Malay Peninsula), and other items like sarong and selendang (shawl). Also included in the exhibition are beadwork and costumes from the indigenous Dayak community of Borneo.
1/05/2009 - 15/07/2009
The Art House Gallery Museum Of Ethnic Arts, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Pat Tseng - Emblems of Ethereal Grace
Timeless, exquisite and subtle, Pat Tseng’s work defies categorization: it is both jewelry and fine art. Her work has been exhibited in museums such as the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, and also in retail venues ranging from Saks Fifth Avenue to the Smithsonian. Her work combines contemporary craft and ageless artifact, using novel silk knotting techniques and patterns and integrating ancient Chinese jade, jewels, and carvings. The adornments in this particular exhibition represent the mature work of the artist at her best.
25/09/2010 – 11/01/2011
Chinese Culture Center Gallery, San Francisco CA, USA
From heaven brought - the craftmanship of a soul
International art jewelry designer and sculptor Wallace Chan continues his world tour showcasing his creations. Chan is recognized internationally as the only Chinese jewelry sculptor of revolutionary design and unique technique. He was born in China and grew up in a traditional Chinese cultural environment. He completed rigorous training as an ivory sculptor and studied art at university. A self-taught person by nature, in the mid-1980s he invented the "Wallace Cut," an image-carving and reflecting technique incorporating elements of cameo, intaglio and gem faceting. A rich practical knowledge of metallurgy and machinery led him to combine different kinds of gems, like opals and various metals, which are not easily combined. He “marries” them until they are melted or cast into one. Creative influences include traditional art realism, Buddhist art and Greco-Roman mythic motifs.
28/04/2010 - 27/06/2010
Capital Museum, Beijing, China
Manchu, the last empire.
The exhibition will present the precious collections from the old imperial capital of Mukden and the summer palace of Jehol, the legendary wardrobe of the Emperor's warriors, and the refined objects created by the finest artists of the Celestial Empire, not only jewels of exquisite workmanship in gold, jade and precious stones, but also musical instruments, weapons, harness for horses, along with historical evidence of the fatal confrontation with the West in the mid-nineteenth century culminating in the Boxer Rebellion in the summer of 1900.
23/10/2010 – 08/05/2011
Casa dei Carraresi, Treviso, Italy
The Secrets of the Forbidden City. Matteo Ricci in the Ming Court
Jade and gold and the colour purple can be considered the three elements that best represent the magnificence of the Ming period, one of the richest in the long history of China. Reddish purple, or vermilion, is the colour of much of the lacquer and of the very walls of the Forbidden City. The imperial jade known as “sheep fat” is far more precious than the green variety, and was exclusively reserved for the use of the court. Gold was the external mark of imperial dignity, but the refined skills of the Ming goldsmiths transformed it into objects of extraordinary imaginative power and symbols of splendour and wealth. Jade and gold combined with the precious stones that arrived as tribute from other Asian countries to create jewellery which, five hundred years later, seems of surprisingly modern taste and refined execution. These precious ornaments lavishly displayed the wealth of the empire and reminded outsiders of its powerful position at the true centre of the world. This aspect of the Ming period is also well represented in the rich collection of jewellery contained in the exhibition.
24/10/2009 – 09/05/2010
Casa dei Carraresi, Treviso, Italy
Son of Heaven
According to Chinese mythology, Pangu, the master of the universe, separated the sky and the earth. Between the two came the Son of Heaven, a sovereign whose task it was to maintain the harmony of the universe. The exhibition retraces the history of the ritual dialogue with heaven, from the Neolithic (around 3,500 BC) to the last dynasty, the Qing (1644-1912). Bronze sacrificial vessels, a jade shroud, gold and silver work, imperial robes, porcelain, astronomical instruments, and painted scrolls offer us insights into the lives of the emperors. These fascinating works reconnect the dialogue with heaven with life. This unique exhibition presents 250 works from six Chinese provinces and from the Museum of the Forbidden City in Beijing.
10/10/2009 – 24/01/2010
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium
The Miao from head to toe
This exhibition, which is part of the Europalia.china festival, reflects the exuberance and abstraction of clothing and jewelry of the Miao minority. In parallel, creators, including Michael and Julie Menuge Guerra, stylists, and Cécile Le Talec, sound artist, create works, objects and textiles in dialogue with the Chinese pieces exhibited and build bridges between two cultures.
7/11/2009 – 14/02/2010
Le Grand Curtius, Liege, Belgium
Masters of Adornment: The Miao People of China
This exhibition presents women's textiles and silver jewelry from the Miao culture living in southwest China. Featuring approximately 80 objects, mostly drawn from the Bowers Museum's permanent collection, the exhibition includes several distinct examples of Miao women's festive wear paired with finely crafted jewelry. More than an examination of masterful techniques and styles, these objects reveal hundreds of years of Miao history and tradition and the required patience and dedication to achieve beauty.
15/11/2008 - 30/04/2009
Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, CA, USA
Japanese
Life in Miniature: Ceramic Netsuke from the Silverman Collection
The people of Japan created some of the most opulent personal accessories during the Edo Period (1615–1868) in order to attach inro (cases) to their elaborate silk clothing. Japanese artists invented miniature sculptures known as netsuke (pronounced NET-skeh) as fasteners for luxury-loving Japanese citizens. The tiny treasures, which were worn primarily by men, have since been collected for their wit, whimsy and craftsmanship. Approximately 200 rare ceramic netsuke were recently donated to the Museum by Richard R. Silverman, one of the most prominent collectors of netsuke in the world, and are being exhibited for the first time. Life in Miniature explores the iconography of these decorative and useful objects and their depiction of everyday and fantastic subject matter. Also shown are Japanese screens depicting Kyoto, where many of the objects were made and sold, and a kimono with netsuke illustrating how these delightful fashion accessories were worn.
1/10/2010 – 27/02/2011
Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo OH, USA
Jueri No Ima. Modern Japanese Jewellery
International contemporary jewellery by 8 Japanese artists working in the UK, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the USA
20/11/2010 – 22/01/2011
Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool, UK
Javanese
Old Javanese Gold: The Hunter Thompson Collection
In the early centuries of the Common Era, a civilization rose up in Indonesia that became a locus of trade, culture, and religion, the most impressive traces of which were found on the island of Java. Ancient Javanese artifacts in gold display exceptional skill and artistry and are a significant source of information on aspects of Javanese society, culture, religion, economy, and technology. Old Javanese Gold: The Hunter Thompson Collection presents a selection of around 200 objects from the Hunter Thompson Collection, one of the founding donations to the Gallery's new Department of Indo-Pacific Art, including jewelry, sculptures, coins, statues, containers, and accessories.
25/03/2011 – 14/08/2011
Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT, USA
Korean
Wind in the Pines... 5000 years of Korean Art
The 354 exhibits brought from Seoul to create “Wind in the Pines,” which takes its name from a traditional Korean melody, include 12 items that hold the status of Treasure or National Treasure. The artifacts include finds from archaeological excavations of royal burial mounds, jewelry, sculptures, books, prints, portraits and even furniture. The exposition is chronologically arranged, opening with pots dating from 3000 BC, and Bronze-Age stone daggers and horse-shaped belt hooks. One of the highlights of the show is a selection of gold jewelry found in the burial mounds of Silla, which emerged from the Three Kingdoms Period as the ruling dynasty of Korea until the late 9th century. The celebrated finds included six gold-leaf crowns, one of which has been brought to the Hermitage, along with a phoenix ornament from a crown, and some spectacularly long, intricate earrings, rings and bracelets. Other jewelry on display includes necklaces made out of glass and jade and curved jade pendants.
1/06/2010 – 5/09/2010
The Hermitage, St Petersburg, Russia
The Sixth Sense: Contemporary Jewelry from Korea
Organized by Fuller Craft Museum and curated by Kiwon Wang, this exhibition will highlight new work by contemporary Korean jewelry artists and provide and intimate look at the spiritual and aesthetic elements of Korean jewelry while bringing to light the importance of Korean artists on the international art scene.
31/01/2009 – 26/07/2009
Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA, USA
Philippines
The Guild's Jewelry Design Competition 2006 to 2007 - Jewellery from the Philippines
In 2006 and 2007 the Guild of Philippine Jewellers organized a design competition for students, to design Philippine jewellery with greater contemporary relevance. 26 candidates were selected from 300 participants. 13 works in precious metal are on show, with precious stones such as diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and pearls and jewels with typical materials used in the Philippines such as bamboo, water buffalo horn, wood and leather
09/07/09 – 30/08/09
Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany
Vietnamese
Arts of Ancient Viet Nam: From River Plain to Open Sea
This exhibition will introduce new scholarship on the history of Vietnamese art. Approximately 110 objects dating from the first millennium B.C. through the seventeenth century on rare loan from Viet Nam’s leading museums will be on view. Highlights of the exhibition include ritual bronzes, terracotta burial wares, fine gold jewelry, Hindu and Buddhist sculptures and ornaments made of jade, lapis lazuli, crystal and carnelian. The works have never been exhibited in the United States and many have never traveled outside of Viet Nam.
13/09/2009 - 3/01/2010
Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, TX, USA
Central Asian
The Amazons - mysterious warrior women
Exhibition about the legendary warriors of ancient times with sensational grave finds from the Eurasian steppes, such as jewellery, weapons and skeletons, presented in public for the first time.
5/09/2010 – 13/02/2011
Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer, Germany
Turkomen Jewelry from the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
10/02/2012 to 25/03/2012
Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1140, USA
Splendid Treasures of the Turkomen Tribes from Central Asia
The Central Asian landscape can be bleak and harsh, but the lives of the Turkomen tribes who inhabit the region are enriched by their skill at creating sophisticated and elaborate jewelry. This exhibition features a collection of more than 40 objects, recently donated by Stephen Van C. Wilberding, former senior advisor to the Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency, created in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, focusing on the important milestones and rhythms of daily life of these semi-nomadic people. These objects provide a unique window into the extraordinary decorative and spiritual elements of these tribes and their pastoral lifestyles.
24/04/2010 – 30/01/2011
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota FL, USA
Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire
The exhibition Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire is devoted to the history and culture of the Mongol nation and chronologically embraces the period of the rule of the Mongol emperor Genghis Khan (1155 – 1227) and the founding by his grandson Khubilai of the Chinese Yuan dynasty which influenced strongly the modern scientific and cultural world. The exhibition was organized by the Inner Mongolian Museum, the Mongolian National Museum, the China Cultural Relics Bureau and the State Hermitage Museum from the collection of which 84 artifacts are presented.
27/02/2009 - 7/09/2009
Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire, Houston, TX, USA
10/10/2009 - 10/01/2010
Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, Colorado, USA
Afghani
Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World
For centuries, Afghanistan has been the point where civilisations have crossed paths, a critical point for trade and where great powers met. This major exhibition is the first of its kind to be seen in the UK in over 40 years. It features over 200 objects from 2000 BC to the 1st century AD, the earliest of which are from a gold hoard reflecting links with Central Asia and eastern Iran. The objects are all on loan from the National Museum, Kabul. They were thought to have been lost following the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the subsequent civil war. However, during this period, a handful of Afghan officials deliberately concealed these precious objects to save them from destruction. They are now travelling the world, highlighting the importance of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan, and the remarkable achievements and trading connections of these past civilisations.
21/01/2011 – 17/07/2011
The British Museum, London, UK
Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul
In the late 1970s archaeologists working in Afghanistan discovered the remnants of an ancient cemetery dating from around the time of Christ’s birth. Some of the graves yielded large numbers of spectacular gold ornaments of incalculable artistic and cultural value. The legendary finds bear witness to the ancient kingdom of Bactria, situated at the crossroads of a wide range of Eastern and Western cultures. Conceived by the Musée Guimet in Paris, the exhibition presents some 220 works that have miraculously survived the decades of war and destruction that have ravaged Afghanistan.
22/02/2009 - 17/05/2009
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA
23/06/2009 - 20/09/2009
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York NY, USA
23/10/2009 – 24/04/2010
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
11/06/2010 - 3/10/2010
Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland GmbH, Bonn, Germany
South Asian
Indian Tibet – Tibetan India. Western Himalayas’ cultural heritage
This is the first time ever that the little known region of the Western Himalayas is presented in an exhibition, concentrating on three expeditions to the region. The exhibition will include textiles and jewellery, bronze sculptures from Hinduism and Buddhism, ritual objects, thangka paintings, and dance masks, accompanied by large-scale historical and contemporary photographs and multimedia installations. The exhibition is possible due to the cooperative efforts of Historisches und Völkerkundemuseum St. Gallen, the Linden-Museum Stuttgart and the Völkerkundemuseum Herrnhut.
23/10/2010 – 1/05/2011
Linden-Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts
Spanning the last 300 years of India's culture - from the beginning of the 18th century, to the end of British rule in 1947, and concluding with a look at the legacy of the Maharajas today - the exhibition examines the social and historical role of these kings and their courts, bringing to light the ancient royal traditions that have permeated the lives of descendants worldwide. Among the 200 objects on view are some of India's greatest treasures, including the magnificent Patiala Necklace, part of the largest single commission that the French house of Cartier has ever executed. Completed in 1928 and restored in 2002, this piece of ceremonial jewellery contains 2,930 diamonds and weighs almost one thousand carats.
10/9/2009 – 17/1/2010
V&A, London, UK
6/03/2010 - 30/05/2010
Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Munich, Germany
20/10/2010 – 3/04/2011
Art Gallery of Ontario/Musée des beaux-arts de l’Ontario, Toronto, Canada
21/10/2011 - 8/04/2012
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals
This is the most lavish display of historic jewellery ever seen in Malaysia. The pieces in this exhibition exemplify the artistic sophistication and technical finesse of Indian craftsmen in the age of the Mughals, especially during the 16th to the 18th century. The Indian Subcontinent is a land naturally rich in gems and is home to the most highly developed range of the jewelled arts of any nation on earth. Some of the most remarkable pieces on view here belonged to a succession of Mughal emperors, while many other objects were the proud possessions of a variety of princely patrons. All demonstrate the dazzling mastery of the Indian jewellery artists, whose materials typically were gold, rubies, emeralds, diamonds and pearls. The objects on display are from the personal collection of Sheikh Nasser and Sheikha Hussah al-Sabah of Kuwait, the most significant collectors of Indian jewelled arts in the world. Over the past ten years the exhibition has travelled to a number of leading cultural institutions, including the Louvre and the British Museum.
7/08/2009 – 8/11/2009
The Hermitage, St Petersburg, Russia
12/02/2010 - 27/06/2010
Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore
31/07/2010 - 30/12/2010
Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
When Gold Blossoms: Indian Jewelry from the Susan L. Beningson Collection
This exhibition celebrates the awe-inspiring technical craftsmanship of Indian jewelry with more than 150 pieces spanning 2,000 years. It includes spectacular rings, anklets, earrings, hair pendants, jeweled crowns, ivory combs, and an elaborate swing and a gold throne for a deity. Some of the pieces are worn in daily life, others dedicated to deities in Hindu temples. Photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries will be displayed alongside the jewelry to provide a fuller understanding of the ways in which jewelry is worn and used.
18/03/2010 – 12/07/2010
Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, Atlanta GE, USA
Gandhara – The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan: Legends, Monasteries and Paradise
Between the first and fifth centuries CE, an art form flourished in Gandhara, on what is today the Pakistani-Afghan border, that seems strangely familiar to western eyes: influenced by the culture of Mediterranean antiquity, artists in Gandhara created the earliest figurative representations of Buddha. The best-known legacy of the Gandhara civilization were the monumental Buddha statues of Bamiyan, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Some 300 objects, including masterpieces of stone sculpture, delicately wrought reliefs, precious coins and magnificent gold jewellery lure visitors into the world of early Buddhism. With the support of Novartis and the Parrotia Foundation. An exhibition of the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn
6/09/2008 – 3/01/2010
Museum Rietberg, Werner Abegg Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland
Naga · Jewellery and ashes
This exhibition from the extensive collections of the material culture of the Naga from museums in Switzerland, Germany and Austria presents a comprehensive insight into the cultural heritage of a region, the long time out of sight of the West. During the exhibition at the Museum of Ethnology, Zurich, the breaks between the past and the present topic, the collections in the Museum der Kulturen Basel as witnesses of a bygone time in the spotlight.
7/06/2008 – 6/09/2009
Volkerkundemuseum der Universitat Zurich, Switzerland
Jewellery from the Himalayan kingdoms
Around 180 pieces, jewellery, amulets and necklaces, from the collection of Bianca Maggi, accompanied by a series of photographs taken in the Himalayan territory by her daughter, Susanna Melesi.
16/05/2009 – 28/06/2009
Galleria Civica, Campione D'Italia, Italy
West Asian
The Treasures of ancient Syria - Discovery of the kingdom of Qatna
More than 3500 years ago, the Syrian Kingdom of Qatna, which had grown rich through trade, was one of the most prosperous metropoles of the ancient Orient. Around 1340 BC, a withering attack by the Hittites led to the destruction of Qatna. This exhibition shows about 400 exhibits of art and daily life that span the entire history of the site of Qatna, from its founding around 2600 BC, to its abandonment, in 600 BC, including, in particular, jewellery, works of art and crafts, collections of cuneiform tablets, seals and arms.
17/10/09 – 14/03/10
Württemberg State Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
The Gold of Troy: Ancient Jewelry from the University of Pennsylvania Museum
Regarded as one of the world's most spectacular archaeological finds, the discovery of the Gold of Troy confirmed the existence of the flourishing pre-classical civilization and its legendary treasure. Excavated between 1870-1873 by German businessman-turned-archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, the hoards of treasure included thousands of gold and semi-precious stone objects dating to 2500 BC, pre-dating the famous Trojan and Greek war described by Homer in his epic The Iliad by over one thousand years. This exhibition features 20 pieces of fine ancient women's jewelry exemplary of Trojan craftsmanship. Their age and style indicate they were likely discovered at Troy, home of the most famous treasure ever to be unearthed.
13/12/2009 - 14/02/2010
Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, CA, USA
The Tsars and the East: Gifts From Turkey and Iran in the Moscow Kremlin
Rarely seen arms and armor, bejeweled vessels and regalia offered as lavish gifts and tributes by the Ottomans and Safavids to the Russian tsars.
until 13/09/2009
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
Wine, Worship, and Sacrifice: The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani
The Georgian site of Vani lies in what was the ancient kingdom of Colchis, known in Greek myth as the destination of Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. Colchis was renowned as a region rich in gold, and excavations at Vani have confirmed this reputation. The archaeological finds not only demonstrate the highly refined craftsmanship of local goldworkers but also testify to contacts with both the Greek world and the Persian Empire. This exhibition presents an array of precious objects from Vani, including jewelry from five of the elite burials, bronzes from a sanctuary devoted to wine production, and an enigmatic group of ritual figurines.
16/07/2009 - 5/10/2009
The Getty Villa, Malibu, Los Angeles CA, USA
From the Land of the Golden Fleece: Tomb Treasures of Ancient Georgia
This travelling exhibition is being presented to the Greek public for the first time, and introduces, in an impressive manner, the civilisation that developed on the Eastern shores of the Black Sea from the 5th to the 2nd century B.C. The 140 works in the exhibition - which include 100 pieces of jewellery - were found in excavations that took place at Vani, the religious centre of Ancient Colchis (in the west of present day Republic of Georgia).
2/10/2008 – 14/1/2009
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK
20/01/09 - 6/04/09
The Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece
Israeli
Women's Tales: Four Leading Israeli Jewelers
International art jewelry designer and sculptor Wallace Chan continues his world tour showcasing his creations. The jewelry artists featured in this exhibition - Bianca Eshel-Gershuni, Vered Kaminski, Esther Knobel, and Deganit Stern Schocken - have chosen jewelry as an appropriate medium for personal comment. Although all sought inspiration in their local surroundings as well as in their personal life, these four artists have developed very distinctive styles. While Eshel-Gershuni and Knobel use figurative imagery to relay their personal experiences and memories, the works of Kaminski and Stern Schocken are more abstract in form and focus on the process. Following singular journeys of self-discovery, these four women artists have made major contributions to the field of avant-garde jewelry making in Israel.
23/04/2010 - 12/11/2010
The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
Sequences, Identities: Israeli Jewellery 5
Jewellery traditionally represented social status and identity. Through their work, jewellery designers show how sequences of possibilities are created in Israel by the fusing of different ethnic origins.
13/05/2010 - 16/10/2010
Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel
Bijoux d’Israël
This exhibition is the first time that modern Israeli jewellers have been presented at the Espace Solidor. Among others, they include Vered Kaminski and Degani Stern Schocken, jewellery teachers for over 20 years (respectively at the Fine Arts schools in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv) and heads of the departments of jewellery design. All the most promising young artists from Israel have studied under these two great artists. These creative artists, renowned for jewellery in their own country, reflect their experiences through beautiful and powerful work. Thanks to them, Israel has forged a distinct identity in the contemporary jewellery movement, quite different from that of Europe or America. Although they have participated in artistic activities in Europe, their work is autobiographical and shows that they are above all women living in Israel, and that their culture has greatly influenced them.
5/06/2010 – 10/10/2010
Espace Solidor, Haut-de-Cagnes, France
Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver
New exhibition of rare and ancient jewelry excavated in archeological sites throughout Israel. The exhibition reveals gold jewelry that has never before been seen, much of which dates from Biblical times and even earlier.
11/09/08 -
Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel
Turkish
Treasures of the Ottoman sultans
The exposition comprises outstanding Turkish artworks from the funds of the famous Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, the city called "a cultural capital of Europe of 2010". It explores a variety of techniques and forms of the Turkish decorative and applied arts as well as delicacy of craftsmanship of the makers at the Sultans’ court. The display includes remarkable pieces of weaponry, jewellery, interior utensils, executed on the order of the Turkish Sultans or granted to them as precious gifts.
25/05/2010 – 15/08/2010
Assumption Belfry of the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia