Defending Bowers’ Exhibit

I would like to comment on Cathy Curtis’ article “Upstarts Invigorate Arts Scene” (Jan. 1), in reference to her mention of the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art’s exhibition of Chinese painting and ceramics on loan from the Chang Foundation of Taipei, Taiwan.

As someone who holds a Ph.D. in Chinese art, I would like to clarify several circumstances surrounding the exhibition. First, the quality of the objects on view seems to be something that has eluded Ms. Curtis but which has been apparent to everyone else who has visited the exhibition. During the past three months, I have escorted numerous scholars and connoisseurs of Chinese art as well as members of the Chinese community in Orange County through this exhibition. The ceramics include an example of nearly every major type of ware produced during 3,000 years of China’s history, making it a valuable teaching exhibition.

Furthermore, the superb quality of many of the individual pieces is a well-known fact among international circles of collectors and dealers. Likewise, the paintings include some of the finest examples of three modern artists’ work. I have spent nearly three years in China, including a year’s residence in the city of Nanjing, where one of the artists, Fu Baoshi, lived most of his life; however, I rarely saw examples of the quality found in the Chang Foundation’s collections.

Concerning the purported “information-free” aspect of the exhibition, I would like to point out that Ms. Curtis must not have noticed either the wall text, the bilingual label-copy or the color brochure provided. In addition, a copy of the catalogue was displayed in the exhibition as well as being available for sale in the bookstore. Both the label copy and the catalogue provided full translation of the poems and inscriptions on the paintings. Finally, several programs were planned for the public to gain an understanding of the cultural context of the works in the exhibition.

As for Ms. Curtis’ dismissal of the Chang Foundation as a “vanity museum,” need I remind her that many of our nation’s finest collections are exactly that? What the Chang Foundation is doing is providing an opportunity for some of the finest examples of Chinese art available today to be brought into a collection that will be permanently accessible to the Chinese people of Taiwan and also available for loan to other countries. Even the National Palace Museum in Taipei does not allow its collection to travel abroad. Mr. Chang’s generosity in making his collection available to the public has made it possible for an outstanding exhibition to be seen in Orange County by people who may never have the opportunity to travel to Asia but wish to gain a greater understanding of traditional Chinese culture.

I hope that in the future reviewers such as Ms. Curtis will do their homework before they offer criticism of a unique and valuable exhibition.

DR. JANET BAKER

Chief of Education

Bowers Museum of Cultural Art

Santa Ana

Cathy Curtis responds: “Regardless of the quality of individual objects in a museum exhibition of non-Western art, if the accompanying materials--wall labels, catalogue essay--do not deal with issues of historical context and connoisseurship, the exhibit comes across as little more than a bunch of exotic objects. Translating the inscriptions on the paintings is just frosting on the cake; it does not replace the responsibility to give the viewer a taste of the aesthetic and cultural underpinnings of one of the world’s most complex and brilliant art traditions. The brochure offered only minimal information, while the catalogue devoted less than five pages to a cursory overview of thousands of years of ceramics and painting. Had I not read a standard history of Chinese painting years ago, when I was working in a Chinese art gallery in San Francisco, I would have been ill-equipped to say anything substantive at all about the exhibit in my original review (Oct. 23).”