Culture: A Visit @ Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

 

(Drivebycuriosity) - California is strongly influenced by Asia, thanks to the shared Pacific Ocean and myriads of Asian immigrants. Therefore it is not surprising that San Francisco owns a marvelous Asian Art Museum (asianart).

Last week my wife and I visited the place as part of our San Francisco vacation. We spotted there a fascinating mixture of old and new art. Above this paragraph you can see the Buddhist deity Vajradhara (1736-1795, China).

There are a lot of awsome pieces from Iran, Pakistan, India, China, Korea, Japan and other countries. According to the mseum`s website, "spanning cultures from Turkey to India and China to the Philippines through 6,000 years, the collection provides a panorama of Asian art and culture. Included are over 18,000 objects ranging from tiny jades to monumental sculptures. Superb paintings, porcelains, arms and armor, furniture, textiles, and bronzes are featured".

 Below are some of my favorites from their collection:

From above:
- Seated Buddha (Pakistan, approx 300-500)
- The Buddha triumphing over Mara (900-1000, India)
- The Hindu deity Vishnu (950-1150, Northern Central India)
- The Hindu deity Shiva as destroyer of the three cities of the demons, 1000-1100, Central India, Sandstone).




               Joseph Beuys & Mao Zedong


The museum also shows a temporary exhibition, called "28 Chinese" (through August 16, 2015 exhibitions). The show contains parts of a huge collection amassed by the collectors Don and Mera Rubell who have been visiting 100 studios in Beijing and other cities and purchasing the works of 28 Chinese artists. "28 Chinese" is the culmination of more than a decade’s worth of research, exploration and collecting", explains the museum.

Above a series of pics of my favorite exhibition piece: "History Observed: Joseph Beuys & Mao Zedong, by Li Zhanyang, 2007. Beuys was a very influental German artist, who often provoked and amused his audience. And it is surprsing that Mao, who was a dictator and responsible that many millions of people lost their lives, is still very popular and a leading figure in the pop culture.

Above you can see "Liberation No. 1", by Liu Wei (2013, Beijing oil on canvas)

The painting above is called "Comrade your temperature is back to normal", by Li Songsong, (2005, China, acrylic on canvas)

This work, named "Black and White Summer Palace - Black", by Zhu Jinshi, (2007, Beijing,  oil on canvas), impressed me by the thick & powerful layers of paint, the painting looks almost like a sculpture.

But let the pictures speak for themselves

Enjoy.