UPCOMING EXHIBITS
Treasures from the Permanent Collection
July 8 through November 14, 2009
17th century Chinese coins from a shipwreck, 18th century Chinese jade, 18th century Japanese woodcuts, Captain Monroe Quarrier’s silver coffee urn dated 1848, 15th to 17th century European drawings and prints, and a Colonial portrait are only some of the treasures included in this exhibition. Eight color woodcuts by Toshusai Sharaku (Japanese, active 1794-95) have not previously been shown at the Clay Center or Sunrise Museum. The prints appeared suddenly in Japan in 1794. During a period of 10 months, Sharaku produced nearly 140 color woodcuts depicting Kabuki actors and Sumo wrestlers, but in 1795 the prints abruptly stopped. Visit the exhibition and unravel the mystery of Sharaku.
Lost Kingdoms of the Nile: Nubian Treasures
from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston
September 12, 2009 through April 11, 2010
The Clay Center is one of only two venues in the entire nation afforded an opportunity to present this exhibition. From the largest Nubian collection outside
of Khartoum, Sudan, the exhibition includes more than 200 objects from the royal tombs of el Kurru, Nuri, and Meroë which date from the Prehistoric Period to the Roman era (3100 BCE to 246 CE). Sculpture, stone relief elements, gold and silver jewelry, ceramic and alabaster vessels, and other items illustrate ancient Nubian art, funerary customs, warfare, and daily life, uncovering the rich and diverse aspects of one of the world’s great, yet often overlooked civilizations. The Michael C, Carlos Museum in Atlanta, Georgia is generously loaning a very special addition to the collection – Coffin of Neskashuti, Dynasty 25, 760-656 BC. This colorful coffin belonged to a priest (Divine Father of Min) named Neskashuti. The broad facial features and sculptural design are typical of coffins of the Nubian Dynasty.
Shawabty of King Senkamanisken
Nubian, Napatan Period, reign of Senkamanisken, 643–623 B.C.
Nubia Overall: 20 x 6 x 5.3 cm (7 7/8 x 2 3/8 x 2 1/16 in.) Serpentinite
Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Lost in Form, Found in Line: An Exhibition of Works by Robert Motherwell (1915-1991) January 16 through March 28, 2010
Organized by the Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte, NC in association with the Dedalus Foundation, this exhibition explores Motherwell’s working process with forty lithographs, screenprints and etchings; three monoprints; and seven drawings, collages and paintings dating from 1966 to 1990. Motherwell was the youngest member of the heroic generation of post-war Abstract Expressionists who revolutionized painting and shifted the art world's attention from Paris to New York. He is also the only one of the group (which included Jackson Pollock, Hans Hoffman and Willem De Kooning) for whom printmaking became a major preoccupation. Motherwell's work as a printmaker as well as a painter distinguished him, both for his innovations in graphic media and for his stunning images.
Robert Motherwell (1915-1991)
SIGNS ON WHITE 1981
Lift-Ground Etching and Aquatint
on German Etching Paper
20 1/4 x 27 1/2 inches (plate)
27 1/2 x 33 7/8 inches (paper)
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