Ming Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum

(Los Angeles–February 13, 2013) The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents Ming Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum, featuring ten early Ming dynasty court paintings executed in the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries all from the permanent collection of the Shanghai Museum. Ming Masterpieces marks LACMA’s first exhibition exchange with the Shanghai Museum as part of an ongoing partnership and explores the role of imperial patronage in Ming dynasty painting, the uses of paintings as political propaganda, Daoist themes of transcendence, and the revival of Song dynasty (eleventh through the thirteenth centuries) painting styles in the early Ming period. The exhibition is organized by Stephen Little, head curator of Chinese and Korean Art at LACMA.

Ming Masterpieces provides a unique opportunity to view iconic examples of Chinese painting from this period, a largely unrepresented area within U.S. institutions. The exhibition helps position LACMA as a major resource for the study and display of Chinese paintings. Under the guidance of Christina Yu, assistant curator of Chinese and Korean Art at LACMA, the museum reinstalled its permanent galleries for Chinese art in 2011. Chinese art will continue to feature in the museum's exhibition program with two more special exhibitions planned for 2014.

Image credits: 

Installation view, Ming Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum, March 3-June 2, 2013, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Photo © 2013 Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view, Ming Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum, March 3-June 2, 2013, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Photo © 2013 Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view, Ming Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum, March 3-June 2, 2013, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Photo © 2013 Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view, Ming Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum, March 3-June 2, 2013, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Photo © 2013 Museum Associates/LACMA

Exhibition: Ming Masterpieces from the Shanghai Museum On View: March 3-June 2, 2013 Location: Hammer Building, Level 2
  • Exhibitions