Celebrating Asian Art

November 17, 2023 – December 31, 2023

The Heart of Zen features two extraordinary ink paintings, Persimmons (popularly known as Six Persimmons) and Chestnuts, on view in the United States for the first time. Attributed to the 13th-century monk Muqi, these exquisitely subtle compositions were painted in China and then crossed the ocean to Japan, where they have been designated Important Cultural Properties and treasured for centuries at Daitokuji Ryokoin Zen temple in Kyoto.

Please note that Six Persimmons and Chestnuts will be displayed individually, one at a time, for only three weeks each. Six Persimmons will be displayed Nov. 17–Dec. 10, while Chestnuts will be displayed Dec. 8–Dec. 31. Both works will be briefly on view together Dec. 8–Dec. 10. Space is limited, and entry into this special exhibition is on a first come, first serve basis.

To learn more, click here.

November 17, 2023 – February 24, 2025

An iconic work by a beloved and influential Bay Area artist, Untitled (S.272) is a nine-foot-tall hanging sculpture composed of looped copper and iron wire, created in the mid-1950s by Ruth Asawa. This second installation in the Fang Family Launchpad is a masterful example of the suspended, abstract works of looped wire for which Asawa is best known. Its airy interior and exterior spaces flow seamlessly into one another, using organic lines that evoke shapes found in nature — including the human body — while also suggesting a gently undulating movement. 

To learn more, click here.

October 13, 2023 – July 8, 2024

This selection of paintings, textiles, and lacquerware illustrates well-known historical stories and love romances, tales of popular deities and heroic figures, and anecdotes of filial sons and celebrated scholars in Chinese art. For centuries, these fascinating images and their inscriptions were used to inform, entertain, and instruct various audiences, whether for religious persuasion, social engagement, cultural statement, or moral teaching. A showcase of these narrative or figural images in various mediums illuminates the deeply rooted visual cultural tradition that has existed in Chinese society across dynasties.

To learn more, click here. 

September 15, 2023 – February 12, 2024
Special Extended Hours: The exhibit is open an extra hour until 6pm Friday through Monday and until 8pm on Thursdays.

Murakami: Monsterized is the first solo exhibition in San Francisco by the internationally recognized artist, Takashi Murakami (Japanese, b. 1962). The larger-than-life paintings and sculptures in this show use monsters as a central motif to address the complicated nature of the world around us. His recent works suggest that our rapidly changing and increasingly digital landscape is populated by monsters — whether harmful or helpful — many of which humans have created and perhaps even become.  Throughout his work, the artist draws from the artistic histories of Japanese supernatural creatures including kaiju (giant monsters) of postwar manga and yōkai (supernatural entities) of Edo-period scrolls and remixes these traditions with his bold palette to reflect the complexity of the present day.

To learn more and purchase tickets click here.

October 7, 2022 – December 4, 2023

Discover the life, career, and community of modern artist Bernice “Bingo” Bing (1936–1998), a San Francisco original. Into View: Bernice Bing celebrates the museum’s acquisition of 20 paintings and works on paper that shine a light on an important local Asian American artist who has only recently gained broad recognition for her achievements. These works reveal the evolution of Bing’s remarkable practice, from paintings of the 1950s and 1960s that straddle Abstract Expressionism and figuration to work from the 1980s and 1990s that explores a synthesis of Zen calligraphy and Western abstraction.

To view the exhibition, click here.

Ongoing

In a gallery-spanning installation, Hong Kong–based artist Lam Tung Pang synthesizes a millennium of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese nature scenes scaled up from the picture page to near life size. Exclusively at the Asian Art Museum, Past Continuous Tense (2011) gives audiences a chance to connect important works from historical masters, many in the museum’s collection, with an exploration of contemporary themes of global significance.

To learn more, click here.