USC Pacific Asia Museum

46 North Los Robles Avenue
Pasadena, California 91101
Open Wednesday through Sunday 10am to 6pm

EXHIBITION

The Arts of China

The Ralph and Angelyn Riffenburgh Gallery

Chinese art

Press Release [PDF: 107KB]

The Ralph and Angelyn Riffenburgh Gallery has featured USC Pacific Asia Museum’s significant collection of Chinese ceramics since 1999. This renovation, completed in October of 2013, brings it in line with the new thematic approach in the museum’s permanent galleries, and displays a broader range of the arts of China including paintings, textiles and sculptural works, which will benefit from the state of the art improvements in climate control in the gallery. The five themes in the gallery are Philosophical and Religious Ideas, Art and Commerce, Tradition and Innovation, Status and Adornment and “Reading” Symbols. Within each of these sections, multiple objects in different media give the visitor a deeper understanding of the role art has played in Chinese society for centuries. For example, the Tradition and Innovation section will use a combination of contemporary and historic art to show how artists and artisans have responded to and reinterpreted traditions throughout history.

The museum is pleased to have the support of donors including the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Margaret Leong Checca and Michael Checca, the David Kamansky Fund, Ms. Violet Ouyang, Dr. Albert Chang and Mrs. Yvonne H. Chang, Mr. and Mrs. Simon Li, and Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth K. Tang for the project, as well as the Collectors’ Circle which will make the presentation of contemporary Chinese art possible in the gallery. The inclusion of contemporary art will help execute the museum’s mission of advancing intercultural understanding through the arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands in an increasingly relevant way in this global era.

Lohan and Attendant, China, 15th c., Ink and color on silk, Museum purchase, USC Pacific Asia Museum collection.
Bowl, China, 18th. c., Nephrite, Gift of Mrs. Emma Dagan in honor of David Kamansky’s 50th birthday, USC Pacific Asia Museum collection.
Chair, China, late Ming/early Qing Dynasty, Wood, bronze, cotton, Gift of Mr. Tracy A. Pulvers, USC Pacific Asia Museum collection.