PASADENA, CA.- Pacific Asia Museum debuts a new gallery devoted to Japanese art on September 8, 2006. The gallery’s inaugural exhibition Splendor and Simplicity explores the many facets of Japanese aesthetics -- from the austere to the playful, from the simple to the spectacular -- challenging the assumption that there is only one Japanese artistic style.

Aesthetics reflect cultural values and in Splendor and Simplicity visitors are presented with several aspects of culture in Japanese art from the simplest tea bowls to the most sumptuous kimono. The austere beauty of wabi is strongly tied to the tea ceremony, which has its roots in Shinto, Zen, and samurai culture. Miyabi, a more elegant, courtly aesthetic, appears in lacquer wares such as an exquisite tray decorated with a heron and lotus and in women’s calligraphy. Kabi, a sumptuous, flamboyant aesthetic exported widely to the West, is apparent in many woodblock prints and in Imari porcelains. Finally, the playful, humorous mood, asobi, is found in many Zen paintings and works of folk art.

The new Gallery of Japanese Art will feature paintings, prints, textiles, ceramics, lacquer wares, and netsuke from the museum’s renowned collection, and is scheduled to rotate periodically in thematic displays. Highlights of the new 498 sq. ft. gallery include a traditional tatami mat area with an alcove (tokonoma) used for displays of paintings, calligraphy scrolls and floral arrangements as they would be shown in a traditional Japanese home, temple, or tea room. Another key feature is the rare 15th -century Buddhist temple ceiling donated to Pacific Asia Museum especially for this gallery. The unveiling of the Gallery of Japanese Art marks the beginning of a larger multi-year initiative to re-install the museum’s collections in more informative and relevant ways for the community.

“A museum has no greater responsibility to its donors and the public than to adequately preserve and care for its collection, and the beautiful new Gallery of Japanese Art will allow us to show more of our collection in rotating exhibitions,” said Joan Marshall, Executive Director of Pacific Asia Museum. “We have an amazingly rich collection and we want to share it with the public.”

The new gallery incorporates elements from traditional Japanese buildings, including sliding doors and decorative transoms (ranma).

“Our goal was to create an authentic sense of place and an environment where our visitors can truly engage with the art,” said Meher McArthur, Curator of East Asian Art at Pacific Asia Museum.

The Gallery of Japanese Art has been made possible by the generous support of the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Toshie and Frank Mosher, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Setsuko Oka.