San Francisco is an art lover’s delight. In its tidy 121 sq. km space, the peninsula abounds with the celebrated works of artists from diverse backgrounds, periods and movements. To preserve this rare diversity of an art rich in cultural, scientific and historical value, successive enlightened civic authorities and non-profit organisations, private and public-private institutions have joined hands.
One such happy collaboration is the Asian Art Museum right across the Civic Center Plaza’s beautiful lawns and garden. A unique feature of the museum is its exclusive devotion to Asian art. What’s more, most of the permanent display has come by way of donations. This repository of some 13,000 works covering a period of more than 6,000 years is perhaps the most comprehensive Asian art collection in the Western world.
As if to preserve these rich treasures and priceless possessions of mankind on Larkin Street, symbolically, two stern majestic 365 kg bronze sculpted Asiatic lions stand guard at the building’s entrance.
They guard paintings, drawings, tiny to monumental sculptures, jade jewellery, ceremonial arms and armoury, textiles and a paraphernalia of fine art. The centuries-old collection, both classic and contemporary, reflects the art and culture of each Oriental nation. They are brought to the art lover’s attention through a calendar of talks, film shows, live music and dance performances, artist demonstrations, and multi-media presentations — all designed to inform and enhance appreciation and understanding of man’s long love and fascination for art.
For instance, the Asian Art Museum showcased the archaeological discoveries from the Arabian Peninsula, the extraordinary traditions and far-flung influences of Persian art — ceramics, manuscripts, jewellery, metal work and architectural decoration — and the splendour and magnificence of India’s royal courts of turbaned, elaborately bejewelled maharajas and their intriguing world even as they stayed on course in rajadharma and secular and religious responsibilities.
Another recent exhibition traced the progress of Japanese ceramics from its hoary past to the late 20th century. This tradition of producing and decorating earthenware, pottery and porcelain goes back to the Neolithic period. To give an idea of how the country’s post-WWII generation views that history and takes the ‘village and folk’ art forward, a display was arranged from the collection of Paul and Kathy Bissinger. Titled ‘Tradition on Fire’ it showcased the designs and techniques of some 20 young innovative artists. The youngsters delved deep into their long and revered ceramic tradition and wrought exciting new contemporary design ideas.
The Asian Art Museum complex was birthed in 1917, in an erstwhile Beaux Arts-style public library. It has since been vastly revamped and converted. Today the facility has large windows for natural light, indoor sky-lit spaces, and many contemporary comforts. The designer responsible for this massive overhaul is famed Italian architect Gae Aulenti (1927-2012), well known for her conversion of an old railway station in Paris’ dramatic Musee d’Orsay.
Aulenti’s design has three floors, accessible by foot, elevator or escalator — enabling visitors to start their visit from the top gallery housing South Asian art and work their way down elegant marble-lined pathways. The second floor is devoted to East Asian art, essentially from the Pacific Rim. The first floor features temporary and travelling exhibits. At ground level is the souvenir shop, cafe and a general exhibition area. The spacious halls are divided into the diverse regions of Asia, each outlining the growth and development of art in that region. Moving from room to room, one gets the feeling of travelling from one country to another, from one dynasty to another, from one century to another.
To add to the art experience, the friendly staff on duty assists and guides visitors around . “They light up and open windows to the past,” whispered a gentle, grey-haired lady to a small group of visitors. I put away my camera, and hung on to her words. Her charming Oriental-English diction intrigued me. To her query, I confirmed I was a visiting Indian. “Then, you may know that Delhi’s National Museum houses several rare Mayan, Inca, Peruvian and such pre-Columbian art objects. But did you know that these are gifts from the Heeramanecks?”
The Heeramanecks, Alice and Nasli, I discovered, were New York-based art aficionados. Their ‘passionate collecting and superb connoisseurship’, and importantly, ‘their joy of gifting’, led to the ‘enrichment of many museums around the world’ including this one on Larkin Street.
The Asian Art Museum got off to a start with gifts of rare objets d’art from the Avery Brundage Collection . The contributions of the former head of the International Olympics Committee, who rose from track star to construction czar, were many. Notable among them is a priceless gilded bronze meditative Buddha image dating to 338, sculpted in the ancient Gandharan style. It is the earliest known dated Chinese Buddha, and was probably carried by Indo-Iranian missionary monks on the Silk Route to China. “Many Asiatic societies believe that donating such revered objects is good karma,” continued my guide.
Outside the museum that evening, I again met the grey-haired lady. She had bright, twinkling eyes. She told me that she volunteers here and in the process, she gets to understand her own moorings, as also that of other ancient Asian countries.
“At every chance in the museum, I beetle off to the meditation area (Room 31),” she said with a small laugh, “to still my heart and gather my inner thoughts. The serenity and peace stays with me on the commute home and in the tedium of life outside.”
