SEP 2009

VOLUME 40 - NUMBER 6

The focus on The Metropolitan Museum of Art highlights the multifaceted functions of a 21st century museum. Through his discussion of Jain painting and sculpture in the Met, John Guy demonstrates how building a cohesive collection is a continuous process of placing artworks in context of each other. Yeewan Koon writes about the touring exhibition on the eccentric painter Luo Ping, an example of how successful partnerships between leading museums can result in visually and academically rewarding projects. Monica Bincsik's fresh research on a Japanese lacquer wedding set shows how museum objects are never stagnant and are constantly lending themselves to new understanding.

There are also features on the Serizawa exhibition at the Japan Society Gallery, a tribute to Milo Beach and an interview with former French president Jacques Chirac.

Reviews of spring auctions and fairs around the world reveal the extent to which Chinese art has been collected globally in the past century and how rapidly this has been recognized by emerging Chinese collectors in their emphasis on provenance. With the coming of autumn, we bring preview of fairs and gallery shows that signal a busy season. In the commentary, Nancy Murphy discusses China's legal development and cultural relics policy in the light of the US-China Memorandum of Understanding.

FEATURES
Hwang Yin. Seven Days in the Hong Kong Art World
Regina Krahl. Some Notes on the Meiyintang Collection
Kenneth X. Robbins. Milo Beach 'Draws' his Companions into a Devgarh Painting during a Dreamy Trip to Rajasthan
A Garland of Ragas: Milo C. Beach at 70Joe Earle. The Textile Art of Serizawa Keisuke
Monika Bincsik. Plum Flowers and Cherry Blossoms: Auspicious Symbols of A Political Alliance - A Maki-e Daimyo Wedding Set
Yeewan Koon. Lives and Afterlives: Luo Ping's Guiqu tu
PREVIEWS & REVIEWS
Fair Previews 2009: Baltimore Summer Antiques Show, The San Francisco Fall Antiques Show, The International Fine Art& Antique Dealers Show and Parcours des mondes
Fair Reviews 2009: Art Beijing 2009 Contemporary Art Fair, ART HK 09 and International Antiques & Arts Expo Tai Yuan, Shanxi
John Ayers. Book Review: Regina Krahl: Chinese Ceramics from the Meiyintang Collection, Volume III, Parts I and II, Paradou Writing, London, 2006
Fair Previews 2009: Brussels Oriental Art Fair (BOA fair 2009), Carre Rive Gauche in Paris, Olympia International Art & Antiques Fair, The Grosvenor House Art & Antiques Fair and International Antiques & Arts Expo Tai Yuan, Shanxi
INTERVIEWS
Sandrine le Marchand. The Interview: Jacques Chirac and the Meiyintang Collection
NEWS
Alexander Hofmann. Obituary: Rose Hempel (1920-2009)
COMMENTARY
Nancy Murphy. Commentary: Establishing the Mandate of Heaven through the Protection of Cultural Relics