Exhibitions Archive - Ethnic
GENERAL
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
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
The Art of Being a Man, Africa, Oceania
The men of Africa and Oceania seldom appear in public unadorned. The jewellery and symbols they wear in everyday life or on the occasion of cult ceremonies constitute a rich palimpsest of layered experiences, not least of the initiation rites that mark the different phases of men's lives. Male jewellery designed for men, but sometimes shared with women, is extremely diverse. The inhabitants of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific Islands have traditionally derived much of their inspiration from their surroundings, drawing on a huge range of raw materials to fashion artefacts of genuine formal richness, ranging from the strictly minimalist to the overwhelmingly profuse. In Africa, the skin, teeth and claws of leopards, lions and elephants, and in Oceania those of pigs, dogs and sperm whales, together with bird plumage, are greatly sought after for making jewellery that connotes prestige, as they symbolize power and vitality, and offer protection to their wearers. This exhibition will include more than one hundred and fifty exhibits, many of them never before seen in public, from private and public collections.
15/10/2009 – 11/07/2010
Musée Dapper, Paris, France
Bijoux de l’Homme, Bijoux de la Terre: jewellery from the Barbier-Mueller Collections
Art is man added to nature: Vincent van Gogh. The jewellery collection is an important part of the Barbier-Mueller Museum. But although numerous new acquisitions have enhanced the collection and in spite of our visitors’ persistent requests, the jewellery has not been shown since 1994. Alexis, the grandson of the Museum founders Jean Paul and Monique Barbier-Mueller, started taking a keen interest in minerals at a very early age. Fascinated by the strangeness of certain specimens and their sumptuous colours, he now possesses a collection of ‘jewels of the earth’ combining beauty and rarity. Presented here for the first time, these minerals are brought face to face with the ethnic jewellery of the Barbier-Mueller Museum Collection, made from raw materials, shells and semi-precious stones. We should point out that this selection from Alexis Barbier-Mueller’s collection was not designed to present the rarest, but rather to highlight its most spectacular pieces. It is also interesting to note that the exhibition and its fine catalogue bring together a large number of pieces that belonged to Josef Mueller, founder of the family collection in 1907, with those collected by a representative of the fourth generation – a hundred years later.
1/12/2009 – 15/05/2010
Barbier-Mueller Museum of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
Past and Present. Animal-themed amulets from Asia and Africa
An exhibition of jewellery, ornaments, amulets and talismans and everyday utensils from Africa and Asia on the theme of the symbolic animal.
15/05/09 – 15/11/09
Musée des Beaux-Arts Salies, Bagnères-de-Bigorre, France
AFRICA
General
Passages: Photographs of Africa by Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher
Presented in large format color photographs, photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher’s images of African ritual practices are vivid, rich, intimate and intense. This dynamic exhibition of images from around the African continent is divided into six themes: Coming of Age, Courtship and Marriage, Beliefs and Worship, Masks and Masquerades, Royalty and Power, and Spirits and Ancestors. The exhibition also includes six documentary videos, plus a selection of jewelry, masks, sculpture, and other African artifacts, drawn from the Bowers Museum’s holdings as well as the photographers’ personal collections, representing the cultures and themes seen in the images.
15/11/2008 - 16/08/2009
Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, CA, USA
North Africa/Maghreb
Enchanting: Bedouin Silver
This exhibition is organized in association with a major exhibition on Egyptian Magic and is based on the book Desert Silver. It features silver jewellery from three private collections, including a display of face veils as ornaments.
16/10/2010 - 13/03/2011
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden, Netherlands
Morocco - Photographs by Elias Harrus and Pauline Prior
The key focus of the exhibition will be photographs from the 1940s and 1950s, when a significant Jewish community lived in the Atlas Mountains and Sahara oases. These evocative photographs reflect the deep links in Morocco between the Jewish and Muslim communities, their religious life, crafts and traditions. Also on display will be objects reflecting Jewish life in Morocco, including costumes and jewellery
11/11/2010 - 6/03/2011
Jewish Museum, London, UK
Tuareg: People of the Veil
Tuareg: People of the Veil provides a fascinating insight into the culture of the Tuareg people of north west Africa, through the exploration of Tuareg clothing and jewellery. Ornate amulets, veils and slippers are set within their social and historical context to illuminate their significance to Tuareg culture.
27/03/2010 - 27/02/2011
Horniman Museum, London, UK
Desert Jewels: North African Jewelry and Photography from the Xavier Guerrand-Hermes Collection
Organized by the Museum for African Art, New York, this exhibition features approximately eighty examples of exquisite North African jewelry and nearly thirty original photographs taken in Morocco, Algeria and Egypt in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A full color catalogue with essays by Cynthia Becker and Kristyne Loughran accompanies the exhibition.
8/05/2010 - 8/08/2010
Arab American National Museum, Dearborn, MI, USA
4/09/2010 - 5/12/2010
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, USA
AMERICAS
Weiter als der Horizont - Kunst der Welt: Der Mondflüsterer
Beyond the Horizon - Art of the World: the Moon Whisperer. Native American art prints and silver jewellery of the Canadian Pacific coast from the Larink collection
In 1979, Renate and Walter Larink "discovered" for the first time the art of the indigenous peoples of Canada's northwest coast and began to collect silkscreen prints, jewellery and wood carvings. Through their collector's passion they quickly developed friendships with artists from British Columbia, and Walter Larink became one of the best connoisseurs of contemporary art of the First Nations of Canada's Pacific coast. Since 2003, Renate and Walter Larink have generaously presented pieces from their collection to the State Museum of Ethnology in Munich. We are pleased that we can now display a selection of screen prints and silver jewellery from this collection.
22/09/2011 – 31/01/2012
Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, D-80538 München, Germany
Wampum Belts of Chartres Cathedral
In honor of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial, this exhibition celebrates the shared history between the indigenous peoples of the region and French and English cultures.The exhibit features two masterpieces of Native American art and culture from the Treasury of Chartres Cathedral in France on view for the first time in the United States. Made in the 17th century by the Abenaki and Huron peoples and given to the Jesuit order, the Wampum belts are among the most important works from the cathedral treasury. Made possible by the Consulate General of France in Boston, the Bishop of Chartres and the Musee des Beaux-Arts de Chartres.
2/07/2009 - 31/07/2009
Shelburne Museum, Vermont, USA
ASIA
Western Asia
Adornment and Identity: Silver Jewellery from Oman
This display celebrates the recent acquisition of a stunning collection of Omani jewellery. Mostly dating from the 1950s, it covers all types of ornament from anklets to amulets, with sections devoted to children, the use of texts from the Qur’an, coral and carnelian.
21/01/2011 – 11/09/2011
The British Museum, London, UK
L’Orient des femmes vu par Christian Lacroix
Women in the Orient, through the eyes of Christian Lacroix
Since the 1970s, the image and appearance of Near Eastern women have changed. Today, what we call "Islamic dress" imposes itself across the region. This dark costume completely covers the body of woman, leaving no part visible, and is in fact leading to the progressive abandonment of traditional eastern costumes. This exhibition aims to present the traditional costumes of female villagers and Bedouins, whose richness and splendour evoked the admiration of 20th century travellers. It will take you on a journey from Northern Syria to culminate in the Sinaï desert, revealing, step by step, the costumes of Syrian, Jordanian, Palestinian and Bedouin women. It is punctuated by stylised dummies in traditional costumes and by wedding chests containing the accessories of the traditional bride's trousseau.
8/02/2011 – 15/05/2011
Musée du Quai Branly, Paris, France
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
Central 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
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
South Asia - general
The Celestial Gold
The jewelry of the Himalayas has been reserved for the wealthy and powerful for centuries, reflecting social and political status, while expressing deeply ingrained views about what is beautiful. Often ornate, these private adornments for public display are resplendent with turquoise and coral, encrusted with pearl and lapis lazuli, with gold filigree embracing the stones and deities adorning them. Their exquisite craftsmanship manifests the prestige and authority of those who wear them. In addition to serving as important cultural signifiers, Himalayan jewelry reflects the great religious traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism. As ornaments of faith, they are often metaphors for spiritual ideals. In Himalayan Buddhist art, the gods and goddesses are richly adorned with crowns, necklaces, earrings, armlets and the like. This adornment reflects cultural perspectives on sensuality and its role within the spiritual path. This exhibition, brought to the public in association with Rossi & Rossi London, includes some of the finest gold jewelry from the Himalayas, providing a rare glimpse into the role of adornment, aesthetics and sensuality within Tibetan culture and Buddhism.
17/03/2011 - 4/05/2011
Tibet House US, New York, NY, USA
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
India
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
Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals
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. Kuala Lumpur will be the last stop on this global tour.
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
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
Painted Photographs: Coloured Portraiture in India
Photographs from the Alkazi Collection of Photography
until 27/9/08
Brunei Gallery, SOAS, London, UK
East Asia
China
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
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
Charm of Silver Jewelries. Exhibition of Silver Jewelries of Miao Ethnic Group from Hunan, Guangxi and Guizhou
Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi are one of those areas where the Ethnic Group of Miao live as well as the places where the Miao cultures have been well preserved. Among the colorful and diverse Miao cultures, the silver jewelries, with its enormous quantity, numerous varieties, unique designs and delicate styles, have been regarded as one of the most important symbols. As an old saying goes, “What the feather to birds is silver jewelries to Miao girls.” The silver jewelries are the pride and glory of Miao people, demonstrating the wisdom, history, civilization and esthetic sentiment of the Ethnic Group of Miao.
29/03/2011 – 4/05/2011
Hunan Provincial Museum, Changsha City, China
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
Golden Triangle
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
South-east Asia
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
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