Exhibitions, 1930-2003

The Exhibitions series documents the exhibition activities of the department, covering all the different facets of an exhibition, from inception to execution. The records contain material on object research and selection; scheduling; design and preparation; installation; public relations; deinstallation; and administrative and financial matters. The material reveals the leadership and taste of the department’s many curators.

The majority of the contents consists of correspondence, but also includes loan agreements, object records, loan negotiations, invoices, brochures, receipts, object lists, press and news releases, brochures, floor plans, labels, curators’ notes, lists of contributors, and bibliographies. In addition, the series contains scholarly Guide to the Records of the Department of Asian Art 24 documentation, such as notes and personal memos, relating to published and printed material that supplement the other materials.

Of particular interest are the extensive materials on the exhibitions Light of Asia: Buddha Sakyamuni in Asian Art (1984-1985) and From Indian Earth: 4,000 Years of Terracotta Art (1986), which provide a wealth of detailed information regarding the specifics of two significant international exhibitions. Other notable exhibitions included in this series are Thank God for Tea! (1955); Oriental Carpets from the Kevorkian Foundation (1967); Indian Miniature Painting (1969-1970); Mingei: Japanese Folk Art (1985); and Lacquer: A Panorama of Asian Decorative Arts (1988-1989).