A Curious Affair:
The Fascination Between East and West
June 17–September 3 , 2006
East and West. For centuries, the mysteries and mystique of these two regions of the world—at first largely unknown to each other—exerted a powerful spell on the artists and designers who sought to depict what travelers described or dreamers imagined.
A Curious Affair: The Fascination Between East and West features more than 75 unique examples of paintings, ceramics, furniture, and other decorative arts from the past four centuries that were produced under this spell. Included are artworks made in Great Britain, Europe, and the United States as well as China, India, and Japan; all are drawn from Bay Area collections and the museum’s own collection. Many of the works have never before been exhibited publicly.
The burgeoning interaction between East and West has been one of the great processes of global history and culture in the last five centuries. A Curious Affair provides a glimpse into how this relationship is reflected in the visual arts of these two regions. The key themes of the exhibition include: the influences of Asian art on European decorative arts and vice versa; the use and adaptation of imported Asian art objects in European contexts; and Asians’ and Europeans’ portrayals of each other.
A Curious Affair: The Fascination Between East and West was organized by the Asian Art Museum. This exhibition is made possible by generous support from HSBC Bank USA, N.A., the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation and Fred M. and Nancy Livingston Levin, The Shenson Foundation.
