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	Flowers and Plants, Qing Dynasty (late 18th or early 19th century), Chen Hongshou

Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective Ongoing SAAM Foster Galleries

This exhibit is an opportunity to see a fresh installation of SAM’s renowned collection of Chinese art at the Seattle Asian Art Museum. The collection was started by Dr. Richard Fuller, the founding director of the Seattle Art Museum, and his family in the early 1900s. It contains representative works from each dynastic period, and it is particularly strong in jades, ceramics and sculpture. Subsequent directors and curators of Chinese art have expanded the collection into areas such as painting, calligraphy, bronzes and, most recently, contemporary Chinese art. Thus, this exhibit of 167 pieces is not only a survey of the arts of China but also a chronicle of Seattle’s shifting interest in Chinese art.

In addition to showing artwork from all periods of Chinese history, Chinese Art explores three main areas. One is jades and celadons (a type of pottery with a distinctive green glaze). Their juxtaposition illuminates how jade carvers and potters influenced each other. Another area is painting and calligraphy—the most revered art forms in China. Finally, a display on the art of Chinese tiles demonstrates a form that is well regarded in the West as a component of architecture, in contrast to the preferences of traditional Chinese connoisseurs.

–Josh Yiu, Foster Foundation Associate Curator
of Chinese Art

Educational Resources
To explore this exhibition a little deeper, attend some of the related programs and events for kids, teens and adults. Teachers can integrate Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective into their classrooms by taking advantage of our school tour programs.

This exhibition is generously supported by the Katherine Agen Baillargeon Endowment and the Bright China Foundation Endowment for Asian Art in Honor of Peter and Doris Drucker. Additional support provided by the Seattle Art Museum Supporters (SAMS) and contributors to the Annual Fund.

Flowers and Plants, Qing Dynasty (late 18th or early 19th century), Chen Hongshou, Chinese, 1768–1822, ink and color on paper, 10.5 x 17.5 in., Promised gift of Patricia and Thomas Ebrey, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum, T2007.36

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