Exhibitions at the Gallery focus around Asian art and culture. In 1992, two exhibitions opened showcasing loaned and permanent collection objects: "Metalwork and Ceramics from Ancient Iran" and "Buddhist and Jain Sculpture from South Asia." Both exhibitions followed renovations. The following year, "Contemporary
Porcelain from Japan," showcased 30 works by 30 Japanese artists, donated by the
Japan Foundation. The first exhibition on
Korean art took place in 1994, "Korean Arts of the Eighteenth Century: Splendor and Simplicity." An exhibition about scholarly research and
provenance called "A Mughal Hunt" was held in 1994. It showcased the research behind newly acquired
Mughal Empire paintings. That same year, "A Basketmaker of Rural Japan," was held. The exhibition showcased the work of
Hiroshima Kazou and included works primarily on loan from the
National Museum of Natural History. In 1996, the Sackler hosted the oldest sculptures to be found in Western Asia. The sculptures, found in 1974 outside of
Amman, Jordan, were sent to Washington, D.C., for research and conservation. The exhibition, "Preserving Ancient Statues From Jordan," exhibited eight pieces dating from 6500 to 7000 B.C. "King of the World: A Mughal Manuscript from the Royal Library, Windsor Castle", in 1997, exhibited the "Padshahnama" Mughal manuscript owned by the British
Royal Family. The
Shahnama was on display in early 2011 in an exhibition curated by Islamic curator
Massumeh Farhad, titled "Shahnama: 1000 Years of the Persian Book of Kings." Photography was the focus of a fall 2011 exhibition focusing on a collection of photographs of
Empress Dowager Cixi, taken by a diplomat's son,
Yu Xunling. The photographs were acquired by the Smithsonian after Xunling's sister,
Der Ling died in 1944 and a dealer sold the collection of 36
photographic plates. The Sackler exhibited only six objects in its December, 2011 exhibition "Ancient Iranian Ceramics." The exhibit showcased pieces that are some 3,000 years old. In 2011, the Sackler indefinitely postponed an exhibition of artifacts from the
Belitung shipwreck owing to possible collecting violations by the commercial organization which acquired the objects. The exhibition was originally planned by the government of
Singapore, which bought the objects for $32 million from a treasure hunting company. The Gallery has also curated and hosted exhibitions about the
Mesopotamian art collection of the
Louvre, the paintings of
Chang Dai-chien, and photographs of
orientalism and
colonialism in India. Contemporary artists exhibited have included
Hai Bo and
Ai Weiwei. The Gallery also has a number rotating/temporary exhibits, which include: •
Yoga: The Art of Transformation (ending January 26, 2014) •
Chigusa and the Art of Tea (opening February 22, 2014) •
Kiyochika: Master of the Night, page.
Collections Aside from Sackler's original donation of objects, the Gallery also holds other collections. General holdings at the Gallery include
Chinese,
Indian,
Korean and
Japanese paintings, photography, contemporary ceramics from
China, 19th- and 20th-century Japanese prints, contemporary Japanese pottery, and other related Asian arts.
Vever Collection In 1986 the Sackler acquired the Vever Collection, a collection of
Persian and Islamic paintings and manuscripts collected by jeweler
Henri Vever. Collected between 1900 and 1943, the Vever Collection features one of the finest groupings of Persian books. Upon acquisition,
Glenn Lowry and Milo Beach were the first scholars in forty years to see the objects. ==Conservation==