Avalokitesvara with Water and Moon
Korean, late 17th–18th century
Divine Depictions: Korean Buddhist Paintings in Boston This exhibition shows 10 rare Korean Buddhist paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), from November 16, 2012 to June 23, 2013.]]>
Source: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The exhibition complements the renovated Arts of Korea Gallery, set toopen at the same time. The paintings, all framed and glazed, have not been displayed in manyyears. Many of them came to the MFA from Japan, as Korean Buddhist paintings wereappreciated and stored there in Buddhist temples.
Although Korea’s Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392)is better known than the subsequent Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the exhibition focuses onBuddhist paintings of the Joseon Dynasty, some of which were commissioned by the royalfamily. In this period, many Buddhist temples moved out of the city into mountainous rural areas,as Neo-Confucianism became the official philosophy. Particularly popular types of KoreanBuddhist paintings were portraits of famous priests or monks, which would have been exhibitedin a special hall in each temple. Examples of these works and King of Hell paintings will beincluded in the show. “Divine Depictions: Korean Buddhist Paintings” is presented withsupport from the Dr. Robert A. and Dr. Veronica Petersen Fund for Exhibitions.
The MFA’s new Arts of Korea Gallery will present select works from the Museum’s Koreancollection, one of the best outside Korea, which includes works of art from the Bronze Age to thepresent day. This new gallery will showcase its strengths, which lie in 11th–13th century celadonsfrom the Hoyt collection and Buddhist paintings from the Bigelow collection, as well as somespectacular pieces of lacquer and metalwork. Other works to be displayed in the gallery includea 12th-century gilt silver ewer and basin and a 14th-century gilt silver Buddhist reliquary, as wellas a superb 18th-century trompe l’oeil bookshelf screen, on loan from a local private collection.The renovated gallery will feature newly acquired contemporary ceramics and paintings, bothBuddhist and secular, which will be on display on a rotating basis. The establishment of thisgallery was made possible by the support of the Korea Foundation.
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Art of the White Mountains at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (exhibition, 2012)
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