BALTIMORE, MD.- The Baltimore Museum of Art opened its beautifully renovated galleries dedicated to the new presentation of its outstanding African and Asian art collections on April 26, 2015. The museum has significantly expanded its gallery space for one of the finest collections of African art in the U.S. and a notable collection of Asian art.
The reinstalled African and Asian art collections occupy expanded galleries on the first floor of the museum’s landmark neoclassical building designed by renowned American architect John Russell Pope. The renovation more than triples the size of the previous gallery for African art and nearly doubles the size of the previous gallery for Asian art. Higher ceilings, elegant new displays, and state-of-the-art lighting significantly enhance the experience of each artwork. The project also includes new Go Mobile content for the African and Asian collections, a new family guide on the African collection, and a web comic about Guanyin, the Chinese Goddess of Mercy, who is prominently featured in the reinstallation.
“We are excited to showcase these important collections in beautiful new galleries that foster an environment of reflection, inquiry, and engagement with the works of art,” said BMA Director Doreen Bolger. “A variety of thematic exhibitions and installations will also provide visitors with a fresh and ever-changing experience.”
The reopening of the African and Asian art galleries mark a significant milestone in the BMA’s $28 million renovation to provide visitors with a more welcoming environment and more imaginative encounters with art. The BMA’s ambitious multi-year renovation has included re-openings of the contemporary wing in 2012 and the Merrick Historic Entrance and Dorothy McIlvain Scott American Wing and Zamoiski East Entrance and East Lobby in 2014.
ALAN AND JANET WURTZBURGER AFRICAN ART GALLERY AND NEW INSTALLATION OF AFRICAN ART
Located on the first floor of the BMA’s historic Pope building, the new galleries for African art occupy over 4,000 sq. ft., more than three times the size of its former space. The expanded and renovated galleries have new casework allowing viewing works in the round, more objects displayed individually, and higher ceilings that more effectively suggest the scale of the artworks in their original contexts. Curated by former BMA Associate Curator for African Art Kathryn Wysocki Gunsch (now Teel Curator of African and Oceanic Art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston), the new installation includes more than 80 objects, many of them large-scale. It addresses the impact of region, history, and culture on African art traditions and encourages visitors to engage with the unique experience and cultural expression that each object offers.
“Through the structural improvements of the renovation and a rethinking of our installation, the BMA’s new galleries for African art demystify the works in this renowned collection by emphasizing the relationships between objects and the lives of the people by and for whom the objects were made,” said Gunsch. “We look forward to sharing this collection in a way that supports fresh connections to these incredible artworks and to the social, political, and cultural history of the continent more broadly.”
The reinstallation is organized around three central themes:
The Artist – Ranging from ancient Egyptian objects to contemporary art, the first gallery visitors encounter emphasizes the different types of training for African artists, such as royal workshops and studio practice. Highlights include Commemorative Head of a King (1848-97) from the Benin Empire in Nigeria, Sande Society Helmet Mask (20th century) created by the Nguabu Master in Sierra Leone, Asymmetrical Betu I (2010) by Magdalene Odundo, and more than 600 tiny Gold-Dust Weights (1700-1900) created by unidentified artists from the Akan region of Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
The Audience – Artworks created for the public setting are juxtaposed with those created for private use in order to explore the different intentions and impact of patronage. The BMA has an extraordinary collection of 19th- and 20thcentury works created for public masquerade, most notably the Great Mother Headdress (D’mba) from the Baga region of Guinea, Yoruba masks from Nigeria, and Kuba and Pende masks from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Artworks created for private use include commissioned objects such as jewelry, headdresses, and objects for the home that demonstrate conspicuous consumption, as well as sacred artworks like reliquaries and Nkisi power figures.
The Period – Artworks created from the 1950s to the present explore how African art was shaped by the political, social, and cultural changes that affected the continent in the late 20th century. Mid- to late-20th-century modern masquerades are represented by Dogon masks from Mali and masks of wisdom from Liberia. A Married Woman’s Blanket Cape from the Ndebele region of South Africa and an Asafo Militia Flag from the Fante region of Ghana show the impact of colonialism and independence.
Focus Exhibition Gallery – A new gallery for thematic exhibitions of African art debuts with Diverging Streams: Eastern Nigerian Art, on view April 26 – November 1, 2015. Approximately 20 headdresses, masks, and costumes from the eastern Nigerian region of Africa demonstrate the aesthetic relationships between the Igbo, Jukun, Igala, Ogoni, Boki, Idoma, Ibibio, and Ejagham artists who lived between the Benue and Cross rivers. Most of the works are drawn from a private collection.
JULIUS LEVY MEMORIAL GALLERY AND NEW INSTALLATION OF ASIAN ART
The BMA’s collection of Asian art has been reinstalled in two renovated galleries twice the size its former space on the first floor of the museum’s historic Pope building. Curated by BMA Associate Curator of Asian Art Frances Klapthor, the reopening presentation of the Asian collection focuses on 150 artworks from China with examples of ceramics, paintings, furniture, and objects made of bronze, jade, and lacquer from the 2nd century BCE through 21st centuries. These artworks demonstrate the innovation of Chinese artists and their impact on culture around the world.
“The two new galleries dedicated solely to Asian art provide us with the opportunity to better showcase the beauty and strengths of this collection,” said BMA Associate Curator of Asian Art Frances Klapthor. “This reinstallation wonderfully expands the aesthetic scope of the museum’s presentation of Asian art.”
The north gallery presents a thematic survey of the BMA’s renowned Chinese high-fired ceramics representing 2,000 years of innovation—from white stoneware of the 9th and 10th centuries to imaginative monochromatic works created in the 17th through 19th centuries. All of these objects were made for the home and used to store or prepare food, serve meals, drink wine or tea, practice calligraphy or painting, or decorate the study or family altar. Among the highlights are an exceptionally beautiful 15th-century Ming dynasty Brush Washer, a 13th-century Song dynasty black-glazed Wine Jar with Resist Decoration, and a 17th-century Zun-shaped Vase Decorated with Figural Scenes. The installation also features a recent gift of an 18th-century Serving Plate composed of 12 dishes that fit together in the form of a flower that was made for the 60th birthday of China’s Kangxi Emperor.
The south gallery focuses on the importance of the temple and the tomb in Chinese artistic tradition through the presentation of mortuary wares, objects, and images related to China’s Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist spiritual traditions. Particularly notable works in the collection are the 15th-century life-sized bronze Water-Moon Guanyin, a large 15th-century Cizhou Storage Jar, and a magnificent early 8th-century Figure of a Striding Camel.
