Beyond Brundage: The Complex Histories and Educational Power of Asian Art Collections

How did this artwork get to the museum? Art museums are increasingly called to answer this question more transparently. What were the social, historical, and legal conditions that enabled or constrained the collecting of Asian art over the past centuries? What should museums be doing now to research and interpret their collections and consult with represented communities about their heritage?  

Join us for a discussion exploring the collecting of Chinese antiquities during the 20th century as one example of how many American collections of Asian art were formed. Dr. Daisy Yiyou Wang, deputy director, curatorial and programming of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, will discuss antiquities dealers who worked with 20th-century collectors like Avery Brundage. Shareen Blair Brysac, coauthor of “The China Collectors: America’s Century-Long Hunt for Asian Art Treasures,” will paint a picture of how Brundage began collecting and his bullying tactics. Deputy Director, Art & Programs Dr. Robert Mintz will moderate the discussion and illustrate connections to the museum’s collections.  

Speakers

Shareen Blair Brysac is a former television producer and the author of five books including “The China Collectors: America’s Century-Long Hunt for Asian Art Treasures,” which she wrote with her husband Karl E. Meyer.  

Dr. Daisy Yiyou Wang is responsible for the Hong Kong Palace Museum’s exhibition, research, collection, publication, learning, and public engagement programs. She has served as the Robert N. Shapiro Curator of Chinese and East Asian Art at the Peabody Essex Museum and the Chinese art specialist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art (Freer|Sackler). A specialist of the history of collecting, lacquer, and Qing imperial portraiture, Dr. Wang has published internationally.  

Robert Mintz is Deputy Director at the Asian Art Museum, where he is responsible for managing the curatorial, conservation, museum services, and education departments. He leads the effort to program the museum’s changing exhibitions anchored around the new Akiko Yamazaki and Jerry Yang pavilion slated to open in 2021.