Exhibition | Masterpieces of British Silver: Highlights from the V&A
Edward Feline, Christening Cup and Cover, 1731 (The Rosalinde
and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the V&A)
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Press release for the exhibition, via Art Daily (28 March 2016) . . .
Masterpieces of British Silver: Highlights from the Victoria and Albert Museum
Liang Yi Museum, Hong Kong, 21 March — 18 August 2016
Curated by Tessa Murdoch and Lynn Fung
Liang Yi Museum celebrated the launch of its landmark exhibition Masterpieces of British Silver: Highlights from the Victoria and Albert Museum, featuring a total of 46 historical and contemporary silver pieces from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), unveiled for the first time in Asia. The show will run for six months until August 2016.
“We are thrilled to unveil our newest exhibition in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Our strategic partnership represents Liang Yi’s commitment to bringing the highest quality decorative arts to Hong Kong, allowing the public to appreciate these rare and treasured objects. The significant display has been carefully curated to offer insight into the global outlook of British silver, as well as the enduring influence that contemporary design holds in our creative ecology,” said Lynn Fung, Director of Liang Yi Museum.
The works in Masterpieces of British Silver boldly combine ancient practices with modern technological developments, reflecting trends in taste and design across continents. The exhibition begins with seven examples of historical silver from the renowned Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection, the foremost collection of its kind and currently under the stewardship of the V&A. Dating from the 16th to the early 19th century, these objects provide a visual framework to the movements, designs and techniques that inform contemporary silver. The show continues with 39 dramatic sculptural pieces from the V&A’s permanent collection, created by notable contemporary silversmiths and showcased alongside original designs and sketches. Ranging from the entirely abstract to the startlingly representative, conceptual and functional pieces by modern day masters of silver such as David Clarke, Michael Rowe, Gerald Benney and Michael Lloyd demonstrate the diverse influences from which contemporary silverwork in Britain draws inspiration—from the flowery ostentation of 18th century Rococo to the minimal simplicity of Scandinavian design.
One of the highlights of this exhibition is that it provides “a unique opportunity to see masterpieces of silver from the privately assembled Gilbert Collection before the V&A’s Gilbert Galleries reopen to the public in London in November,” says Dr. Tessa Murdoch, Head of Metalwork Collections at the V&A. Standout pieces from the exhibit include “the graceful silver swan, which epitomises Arthur Gilbert’s taste. He also collected the very best examples of historic silver from the famous London workshops of Paul de Lamerie and Paul Storr and from the most celebrated historic collections.”
Alongside Masterpieces of British Silver, Liang Yi Museum’s acclaimed exhibition, A History of Evening Bags, has been extended due to its positive reception. Providing an intimate perspective to complement the show-stopping silver exhibits, the 250 pieces of European vanities from Liang Yi’s permanent collection display techniques that parallel those used on silver. With an assemblage of haute vanities commissioned from the houses of Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Boucheron among others, the two exhibitions provide a valuable opportunity to contextualise these prized objects, which embody and signify the styles and social structures of different periods.
“As we look forward to the second anniversary of Liang Yi Museum, we cannot think of a better exhibition to mark the occasion. The two shows concurrently explore the continuation of virtuoso artistry in silver and metalwork and celebrate the vision of our Museum: design, craftsmanship and heritage. The parallel collections reflect a dedicated effort to foster cross-cultural dialogue and contribute institutionally to Hong Kong’s art scene, setting a benchmark for private museum practices,” continues Fung.
Symposium | Jesuits and the Arts in China
From the symposium programme:
Jesuits and the Arts in China
Department of Fine Arts, The University of Hong Kong, 11–12 April 2016
A research symposium exploring the role of the Jesuits in the production of art and architecture in China in the 17th and 18th centuries. Hosted by the Faculty of Arts at the University of Hong Kong and funded by the Arts Faculty’s Strategic Research Theme in China-West Studies. With no registration necessary, the symposium is free and open to the public. For information, contact Professor Greg Thomas, gmthomas@hku.hk
M O N D A Y , 1 1 A P R I L 2 0 1 6
2:00 Welcome
2:10 Gauvin BAILEY (Queen’s University) keynote talk: The Migration of Forms in the Art of the Jesuit Missions in Japan and China
3:15 Tea break
3:30 SONG Gang (University of Hong Kong): Printing Tianxüe: The Ascendance of Catholic Imprints in 17th-Century China
4:15 QU Yi (Nanjing University of the Arts): Alphabetic Characters in European Images and their Influence in China
T U E S D A Y , 1 2 A P R I L 2 0 1 6
10:00 Greg THOMAS (University of Hong Kong): Religious Negotiation in the Decoration of the Western Palaces at Yuanming Yuan
10:45 CHIU Che Bing (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture and School of Architecture Tianjin): The Jesuits and the Representation of Yuanming Yuan in the West
11:30 Tea break
11:45 YU Pei-chin (National Palace Museum Taipei): Issues Related to the Production of Ceramics as Seen in the Letters of Père François Xavier d’Entrecolles
12:30 Lunch break
2:30 Kee Il CHOI (art consultant, U.S., and University of Warwick): The Talented Mr. Panzi: A Jesuit Painter and His Lamentable Debut at the Qing Court
3:15 Marco MUSILLO (Kunsthistorisches Institut): Global Hagiographies versus Local Praxis: Giuseppe Castiglione in Jesuit History and in the Painting Workshop (1700–1766)
4:00 Reception
Expansion Plans for The Frick Collection, Part II
Press release (24 March 2016) from The Frick:
The Frick Collection’s Fifth Avenue garden and facade, looking toward 70th St. (Photo: Galen Lee, The Frick Collection)
The Frick Collection announced that it is entering into the next phase of planning for the upgrade and enhancement of its facility, which encompasses a constellation of buildings, wings, and additions constructed between 1914 and 2011. Following the withdrawal of the 2014 design proposal and a subsequent period of extensive study, Frick leadership has developed a new approach to upgrading and expanding its facilities that enhances opportunities for intimate engagement with great works of art and preserves the Frick’s gardens. The ongoing planning includes the creation of new exhibition, programming, and conservation spaces within the institution’s built footprint.
As the next step in this process, the Frick is issuing a request for qualifications (RFQ) to select architectural firms, which are being invited to submit their credentials based on their relevant experience and expertise. The institution is planning to announce a finalist later this year and will work together with the selected architect to further define the expansion program, with initial designs expected to be unveiled in 2017.
Home to one of the world’s leading collections of fine and decorative arts, The Frick Collection is noted for the contemplative atmosphere of its galleries, which were previously the principal rooms of the private residence of Henry Clay Frick. It also houses the Frick Art Reference Library, one of the top five art historical research centers in the world. Although its collections, attendance, and public programs have grown significantly over the past decades, the Frick’s facilities have not undergone a significant upgrade since the 1970s. Many of the Frick’s critical functions are currently constrained—from the presentation, care, and conservation of its collections, to education programs and basic visitor services—having been retrofitted into spaces in and adjacent to the former residence.
The project will open to the public—for the first time—new areas of the historic Frick home, reorganize and upgrade existing spaces in the Frick’s buildings, and renovate underground facilities. It will create a more natural flow for visitors throughout the buildings, while enhancing and upgrading the behind-the scenes facilities to enable professional staff to work more efficiently and effectively. At the same time, the expansion will preserve the distinctively residential character and intimate scale of the house and its gardens, both those original to the residence and in more recent additions.
“We enter the next phase of our expansion process energized by the promise of an enhanced facility that will address the Frick’s urgent programmatic and museological needs, while ensuring that the institution will continue to do what it does best—provide intimate encounters with exceptional artworks in spaces designed for tranquil contemplation,” said Dr. Ian Wardropper, Director of The Frick Collection. “We look forward to developing a design that advances these goals and reflects our passion for preserving the unique character and qualities that define the Frick experience.”
The project will include:
• The opening to the public—for the first time—of a suite of rooms on the second floor of the historic house for use as exhibition galleries. Originally the private living quarters of the Frick family, these rooms will retain their residential scale and are uniquely suited to the presentation of small-scale objects from the Frick’s permanent collection.
• The creation of a new gallery within the 1935 building for the presentation of special exhibitions. This new space, contiguous to the permanent collection galleries on the main floor, will help to facilitate a dialogue between the Frick’s holdings and works in loan shows, and will enable the Frick to keep more of its permanent collection on view throughout the year.
• The creation of dedicated, purpose-built spaces to accommodate the Frick’s roster of educational and public programming, scaled to the institution’s programs and mission.
• The reconfiguration of existing visitor amenities to create more streamlined circulation, offer a clearer public connection between the museum and Frick Art Reference Library, and ensuring easy access for the Frick’s audiences, including those with disabilities.
• The establishment of state-of-the-art conservation spaces to ensure that the former house and the Frick’s esteemed art and research collections will continue to receive the highest caliber of professional care.
Further details on the enhancement and expansion plan, including square footage and project cost, will be determined together with the architectural team that is selected.
Originally constructed in 1913–14 by Carrère and Hastings, the Frick house has been expanded several times in response to the growth of its collections and the needs of the public. In the 1930s, architect John Russell Pope undertook the conversion of the family home into a public museum, nearly doubling its original size, and demolishing the adjoining library building that had been added in 1924 in order to construct a larger library to accommodate its growing collections. An additional expansion occurred in 1977, which included the creation of the 70th Street Garden. In 2011, the Portico Gallery was created by enclosing an existing loggia.
Lecture | 17th- and 18th-Century Dutch Design in the Global Marketplace
Thursday at The Nelson-Atkins:
Catherine Futter, Reflecting on 17th- and 18th-Century Dutch Design in the Global Marketplace
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, 31 March 2016
In this series, connected with the exhibition Reflecting Class in the Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer, four Nelson-Atkins curators reflect on themes presented in the exhibition, including the importance and legacy of 17th-century Dutch painting and depictions of the social classes in art. Works from across art-historical periods and the museum’s collections will be discussed.
With the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 and the reach of the Dutch East India Company, Dutch designs spread to distant lands as far away as the American colonies and China. Join Catherine Futter, Director, Curatorial Affairs, for this talk that explores Dutch influence in ceramics, furniture, silver and other decorative arts.
Thursday, March 31
6-7 pm | Atkins Auditorium
Tickets required
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