Score one for Japan; this is cultural diplomacy at its finest. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to Washington, D.C., two of the city’s most prominent museums have organized once-in-a-lifetime exhibits of Japanese art, one with heavy involvement from the Japanese government. Both exhibits succeed wildly; you know … Continue reading »
Category Archives: Freer-Sackler
Cherry Blossoms 2012: Samurai and Hokusai
Though this year’s cherry blossoms are officially predicted to peak the week of March 24, a number of trees have already popped in my neighborhood. It’s been a warm winter. Aside from lifting the city’s mood, the blossoms bring a constellation of Japanese art exhibits to DC. A few I intend to check out this … Continue reading »
China’s Empress, Kicking Back
Here’s what constituted public diplomacy in 1903: taking a photo of the Chinese empress with her legs crossed, leaning on one elbow–in what was considered an informal, “Western” pose–the better to appeal to foreign statesmen for whom the photo was intended. For the Forbidden City, a public relations master stroke ! I badly needed a … Continue reading »
Qing Dynasty Political Wives: Silda or Huma?
Washington loves nothing better than a good summer sex scandal. Thanks to Anthony Weiner, this year’s came early and was more salacious than usual. Thanks to Nancy Pelosi, it had a remarkably short lifespan. Still, it led to lots of media navel-gazing about the fraught role of political wives. While Silda Spitzer seemed a pained, … Continue reading »
D.C. Museums: Three Zen Moments
My colleagues and I are contending with high stress levels lately, in advance of big meetings in mid-April. Long hours have fragmented my attention span. To force myself not to think about work on my free Saturday, I found three places to exhale, in and around the Mall. Highly recommended: Rothko room at the National … Continue reading »
DC Museums: Top Five for 2010
Time for a look back at what inspired me in DC’s museums this year. These are the exhibits that lingered in my mind weeks after I saw them. 1. Terracotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor: This one’s a holdover from last year, but bears repeating because those faces are unforgettable. I first saw the … Continue reading »
Hai Bo: The Way Home
This photo by Chinese artist Hai Bo has been hanging in the Sackler Gallery lobby for several months now, and it stops me in my tracks every time I visit. Titled “The Northern No. 29,” it shows the road the artist’s mother used to walk to and from school as a child, the only link … Continue reading »
Freer-Sackler / Library of Congress / Musee des Beaux Arts / National Museum of African Art / Renwick Gallery
Museumgoer, Meet Armchair Traveler
In today’s New York Times, art critic Holland Cotter commends several U.S. museums for going global this year via blockbuster exhibits of non-Western art, starting with a major Chinese show at the Met this fall. He writes: “In the most culturally interconnected time ever, familiarity with the art of the rest of the world, which … Continue reading »
Whispering to the Gods of Angkor
Ah, Angkor Wat. I’ve read all the stories about how over-touristed and threatened it is, but still I’d like to see it. I’ve had an emotional attachment to the place since my first viewing of what would become my favorite movie ever, Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love. In the final scene, the impossibly … Continue reading »
Sackler’s Tibetan Shrine: Go for the Art, Not the Spirit
A confession: I desperately miss Taiwan’s Buddhist and Taoist temples. I lived on the island in 2006-07, and the multi-denominational temples there had a surprising effect on me: I’d find myself wandering in a couple times a week, seeking a few moments of mindfulness amid the capital’s full-on clamor. I consider myself agnostic, so I … Continue reading »
