Exhibition featuring many of the ROM’s hidden treasures closes on August 1, 2016
(Toronto, Ontario – July 21, 2016) Made in China: Cultural Encounters through Export Art, on display in the Herman Herzog Levy Gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), closes on Monday, August 1, 2016. The exhibition has been charming Museum visitors since its September 2015 opening.
Mainly originating from four renowned ROM collections, Made in China has featured nearly 100 objects over several rotations, including paintings, porcelain, lacquer, silver, and photography. These pieces were created in the 18th and 19th centuries for consumers in Europe and North America. Placing the “Made in China” trademark in historical context, the exhibition explores the cultural encounters between China and the west, revealing a dynamic history of export trade.
The exhibition’s curators, both associated with the Museum’s World Cultures department, are Dr. Wen-chien Cheng, the ROM’s Louise Hawley Stone Chair of Far Eastern Art and Dr. Jianfei He, the ROM’s former James M. Menzies Chinese Research Fellow, now based in Hong Kong.
Chinese export art is associated with both Chinese art traditions and Western ideas, revealing how its development and production were affected by the trade routes and cultural exhanges that continue today. Like many products manufactured in modern day China, the objects created centuries ago served as decorative art and souvenirs for foreigners. Examples of pith paper paintings, a technically complex art form, are among the exhibition’s highlights. Derived from the ginseng family, pith paper is strong and, when damp, may be stretched and folded into nearly any shape. Watercolours and tempera are absorbed easily, creating a relief texture with a velvety visual depth. Rarely publicly displayed, these paintings are among the hidden gems of the ROM’s Far Eastern holdings.
Made in China: Cultural Encounters through Export Art is included with general Museum admission. A substantial rotation of the exhibition’s works on paper took place in spring 2016, so a return visit is warranted. Nearby galleries devoted to Chinese art, sculpture, architecture, and temple art further complement the exhibition experience.
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Herman Herzog Levy Gallery
Located on Level 1 of the ROM’s Philosophers’ Walk building, the Herman Herzog Levy Gallery is the Museum's main venue for its diverse slate of rotating East Asian exhibitions - themed displays drawn from its vast collections of Chinese, Japanese and Korean artifacts. The continually changing nature of the Levy Gallery allows it to showcase the broad scope and diversity of the ROM's collection of East Asian art, while ensuring the preservation of these objects. The gallery is named after Dr. Herman Herzog Levy (1902-1990), collector of East Asian art and long-time friend of the ROM. Thanks to Dr. Levy’s generous bequest, nearly 300 objects of East Asian art have been added to the Museum’s collection.