Art Exhibitions open at Asian Art, Legion of Honor
Zen Exhibit Opens at Asian Art Museum
Opened in 1966, The Asian Art Museum has become one of the largest museums in the western world devoted exclusively to Asian art. Now through Oct. 7, the Asian Art Museum/Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art Culture in Golden Gate Park is presenting "Zen:Painting and Calligraphy, 17th-20th Cent-uries," which features 66 works created by Japanese monk artists of Zen's later days.
The exhibition reflects the teachings of self control and external unity, which call attention to meditation rather than a devotion to an exact scriptural doctrine.
There are six thematic sections including "Visions of Daruma," "Path to Enlightenment: Meditation, Koan, and Teaching," "Favorite Zen Figures: Buddhist and Taoist Origins," "Calligraphy and Enso," "Zen Monastic Life" and "At Peace with Nature."
"Visions of Daruma" features different portraits of the founder of the Zen sect, Daruma. A hanging scroll painting of Daruma painted by an artist and wandering monk, Fugai Ekun, highlights this section of the exhibition.
"Path and Enlightenment: Meditation, Koan, and Teaching." This section examines Zen's ultimate goal: the attainment of enlightenment.
"Favorite Zen Figures" features the historical Buddha, blue dragon, and white tiger - highlighting Sengai Gibon's hanging scroll, dated 1833.
"Calligraphy and Enso" features literature written by monks and a number of calligraphy works. This exhibition features a splendid example of Zen enso painted by Turei Enji.
"Zen Monastic Life" reflects monks' daily rituals, depicting everyday objects of the monk's lives such as walking sticks, whisks and alms bowls.
The last section, "Peace with Nature," showcases subject matters found in nature such as landscapes, plants and animals. There will be two performance art pieces incorporating sound and dance at the museum on Sept. 6, 8 and 9.
The exhibition and performances explore the significance of Zen paintings. Artists featured in the exhibition include Fugai Ekun, Hakuin Ekaku, Torei Enji, Yuzen, Gentatsu and Awakawa Tasuichi.
Open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Asian Art Museum is accessible from Eighth Avenue and Kennedy Drive, across from the Music Concourse. General admission for adults is $7, seniors $5, and $4 for students between 12 to 17 years of age. Free admission for Asian Art Museum members and children under 12. Admission is free every first Wednesday of the month, with extended hours until 8:45 p.m. For more information, call (415) 379-8812 or (415) 379-8800.
Kelly Chan
Henry Moore Sculpting the 20th Century
Over the course of his celebrated six-decade career British artist Henry Moore (1898-1986) came to personify 20th century sculpture especially the public sculpture that made him one of the most recognized artists in the world.
"Henry Moore: Sculpting the 20th Century" presents the first major retrospective of Moore's works in the United States in the past two decades. The exhibition focuses on Moore's entire career, underscoring his significance in the development and history of 20th-century sculpture, while it also reevaluates his role as one of the most influential sculptors of the last century.
The exhibit runs through Sept. 16. On view will be nearly 200 works of art, including over 100 sculptures and 80 works on paper, which not only illustrate Henry Moore's lengthy career, but also provide insight into his influences, working methods and approach to materials. The exhibit includes bronzes, wood and stone carvings and works in plaster and terra cotta, ranging from three-ton bronze outdoor sculptures to maquettes small enough to be held in the palm of the hand. Works are on display in the Legion's full suite of exhibition galleries, as well as in Rosekrans Court, Gallery 10, and in various outdoor locations.
"We know that the interplay of great works by Henry Moore and the beautiful architecture of the Legion of Honor will really bring the building to life," said Chief Curator Steven Nash.
Among the notable works on display are the great wood carvings Reclining Figure, 1939, and Bird Basket, 1939; the maquettes and full-size bronze Family Group, 1948-49; the famous Reclining Figure: Festival, 1951; and the monumental Oval with Points, 1969-70. Moore was also a prolific and accomplished draftsman, and the show features drawings in different media from his student days onward, including World War II.
"In my opinion, everything, every shape, every bit of natural form, animal, people, pebbles, shells, anything you like are all things that can help you to make a sculpture," Henry Moore said in 1964.
"Henry Moore: Sculpting the 20th Century" was organized by the Dallas Museum of Art in collaboration with the Henry Moore Foundation and is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The Dallas Foundation provides lead sponsorship. Union Bank of California funded the San Francisco showing.
The exhibition is co-curated by Dr. Dorothy Kosinski, the Barbara Thomas Lemmon Curator of European Art at the Dallas Museum of Art and David Mitchinson, Curator of the Henry Moore Foundation, with contributions from Dr. Steven A. Nash, Associate Director and Chief Curator of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, located in San Francisco's Lincoln Park (34th Avenue and Clement Street), is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and over, $5 for youth 12 to 17, and children under 12 are admitted free. The museum is free to the public every Tuesday, thanks to the generosity of Ford Motor Company.
For more information, call the museum's hotline at (415) 863-3330 or go to its website at www.legionofhonor.org.
Information provided by the Palace of the Legion of Honor