Shanghai Museum

I'm a museum person.

Give me a day in Washington, DC, and you'll find me wandering the Smithsonian and the National Gallery. I've been known to play hookey from packaging shows in Chicago to trek up Michigan Avenue in early winter to get to the Art Institute. I'm looking forward to the upcoming reopening of the MOMA in New York. Beyond just the rush of looking at beautiful objects in general, as an Asiaphile, I've also developed an appreciation for classical Chinese paintings over the years. I can stand in front of a large scroll and easily get lost in the mountains, clouds, and waterways depicted. With this in mind, I knew the Shanghai Museum was a world class institution that was going to be a highlight of this trip. And I wasn't disappointed.

The museum is divided into sections by type of object; bronzes, sculpture, ceramics, calligraphy, seals, paintings, ethnic arts and crafts, coins, jade, and furniture. Within each group, the pieces are organized largely chronologically by dynasty. I knew I was going to enjoy the paintings (and I also knew that I had previously overdosed on bronzes in Xi'an), but what I wasn't prepared for was being blown away by some of the older ceramics and the sculpture.

The sculpture section included some of the most serene Buddhas and Bodhis (from around the 6th century AD) that I've ever seen, as well as some early pre-Qin figures (back a couple centuries BC) that are timeless in their simplicity. There was also a large 6-foot slab with a couple hundred seated Buddhas supporting a slightly larger depiction of the same. The presentation, lighting, labeling, and introduction (happily including literate English, for which I must say xie xie) were excellent, bringing out the best of pieces that deserved the best.