A view of the "Peacock Room REMIX: Darren Waterston's Filthy Lucre" — Photo courtesy of Freer and Sackler Galleries
The Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art in Washington, D.C. – the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery – have a number of exciting exhibitions lined up over the summer and fall months in 2015.
Beginning Aug. 29, Perspectives: Lara Baladi will showcase the works of this Egyptian-Lebanese artist, whose exhibition "experiments with the photographic medium, investigating its history and its role in shaping perceptions of the Middle East – particularly Egypt, where she is based," according to Freer Sackler.
The main focus of the installation is the large-scale tapestry Oum el Dounia ("The Mother of the World"), which was based on a photographic collage made by using a digital loom.
This exhibit will run through June 5, 2016.
The Peacock Room by James McNeill Whistler has been one of the Freer Gallery of Art's most treasured displays since the 1920s. The room was originally created in the late 19th century for the dining room of shipping magnate Frederick Leyland, who did not appreciate the blue and gold peacock patterns Whistler created.
Hurt by his friend's dismissal, Whistler added two fighting peacocks at the south wall entitled Art and Money.
Today, patrons may see the room but also get to take in a new exhibit, Peacock Room REMIX: Darren Waterston's Filthy Lucre, which reinterprets the area "as a resplendent ruin, an aesthetic space that is literally overburdened by its own excesses – of materials, history and creativity."
See this exhibition from now until Jan. 2, 2017.
Rinpa is a term used for Japanese artists who are able to create "striking images for paintings, ceramics, textiles and lacquerware," according to Freer Sackler. The art includes "common features such as strong compositions, vibrant fields of color and thin, pooled ink rooted in the work of the 17th-century Kyoto painter Tawaraya Sotatsu."
Patrons may come see the exhibit Bold and Beautiful: Rinpa in Japanese Art from now until Jan. 3, 2016, which features paintings, ceramics, woodblock-printed books and lacquers.
Enigmas: The Art of Bada Shanren showcases the work of the man who was born a prince in the Ming Imperial House but became a professional painter and calligrapher in the late 17th century. Some of the showcased pieces include Poem by Geng Wei in cursive script; Lotus and Ducks; and Two Geese.
The exhibition is on display from now until Jan. 3, 2016.
Be sure to head to the Freer Gallery of Art as soon as possible, because it will close in January for a planned renovation that won't be completed until summer of 2017.
Located on Washington, D.C.'s National Mall, these two museums are connected by an underground exhibition space. To access these museums by the metro, use the Smithsonian station.
