Epoch Arts 3-4-2016

SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS

Precision, Beauty, Mystery, Magic

CHRISTIAN LAMBERT FOR EPOCH TIMES

Whimsical Modern Luxury via Ancient China

Shen Yun returns to Lincoln Center for second run.

Qeelin’s Dennis Chan on contemporary Chinese design and the luxury brand’s future.

See C2

See C6 BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES

C1 March 4–10, 2016

A Renaissance woman of our time—

pianist, novelist, and environmentalist.

We are water.

The majority of our bodies, like the surface of our planet, is constituted of water. Life cannot exist without it.

Hélène Grimaud

PI AN I S T

Hélène Grimaud on Her Tribute to

WATER

By Milene Fernandez | Epoch Times Staff

N

EW YORK—Hélène Grimaud can look straight into your eyes with an intensity that is arresting. Her gaze has a certain wildness and unwavering quality that matches the passion with which she plays the piano.

Nature is her ultimate muse. “I always felt a strong sense of the sacred being in wild spaces,” she said at the Mandarin Oriental hotel on Feb. 9, during her publicity run of interviews and photo shoots with various media.

Water is also nature’s composer, its drops, steams, and waves beating the world’s primordial rhythms.

Hélène Grimaud

A highly celebrated pianist in the world today, Grimaud is also a dedicated wildlife conservationist, a writer, and a human rights activist. Born in Aix-en-Provence, France, she feels more at home in the United States. After living in Switzerland for some years, she just recently returned to live in upstate New York near the Wolf Conservation Center that she founded in 1999. “I knew I was going to come back, so it was only a matter of when, not if,” she said.

The environmental education organization takes care of four ambassador wolves—wolves raised from puppies by humans, never to be released into the wild, to help educate the public about their endangered counterparts. The Wolf Conservation Center also participates in the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the Mexican gray wolf and the red wolf.

See Water on C3

C2

@EpochArts

March 4–10, 2016

Precision, Beauty, Mystery, Magic

TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS

Shen Yun Is Returning to New York PHOTOS BY NTD TELEVISION

Sathsowi Thay Koroghli brought 100 family members to see Shen Yun in Las Vegas on Jan. 23.

Victoria Wefer, a professional soprano, saw Shen Yun in New York on April 27, 2013.

Tom Paino said Shen Yun gave him hope after seeing a performance in Washington on Feb. 20.

By Kati Vereshaka | Epoch Times Staff s eagerly as New Yorkers are awaiting the arrival of spring, they are also looking forward to the return of Shen Yun Performing Arts—the company that is responsible for spearheading the revival of China’s authentic traditional culture.

After sold-out performances at the Lincoln Center in January, the New York-based company is back by popular demand for a second run at the same venue—March 2–13. The classical Chinese dance and music company is touring in over 100 cities this season.

Noted classical music composer Paul Warner was very impressed to learn that Shen Yun has four equally sized companies that tour the world simultaneously.

“That’s a big, big thing [Shen Yun has] going. I was thrilled, it’s spectacular, beautiful, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life!” exclaimed Mr. Warner after attending the performance in Escondido, California, on Jan. 27, this year.

He added, “I was incredibly impressed with the music, the beauty of it, especially the Chinese music, so beautiful. … It seems I was going back to the Tang Dynasty, to the Golden Age. It was just so exquisite.”

This year, Shen Yun celebrates 10 years since it was founded. Among audiences that have enjoyed the performance in various cities around the world, many prominent members of the community and artists have praised the company for the unparalleled experiences it provides.

Music and More A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, supported by a Western orchestra that incorporates traditional Chinese instruments such as the erhu and the pipa. “[During] the soloist with the erhu, I literally burst into tears during the first two notes,” said professional soprano Victoria Wefer, adding, “I started crying because it was a human voice, just like our violin of the West. And to hear it, it was very powerful.”

Ms. Wefer saw a performance in April 2013, and spoke of the erhu virtuoso, Xiaochun Qi, who played in front of a full house at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theater.

The erhu, sometimes called the Chinese violin, is a nearly 4,000-year-old instrument.

Despite having only two strings, the erhu is known for its expressiveness, being able to mimic human vocal chords. The incredibly nuanced performance of an erhu virtuoso has been among one of the most touching musical experiences even for Western audience members hearing it for the first time.

“I can get a sense of antiquity but also a dynamic sense of possibility from it. There is a sense of something very old but also something emerging and beautiful,” said classical pianist Anne Vollink referring to the performance in general, after attending Shen Yun on Dec. 24, 2015, in Houston.

Through Comedy and Drama Audience members said they leave the theater feeling joy and happiness, but this is not to say that the performance simply

It seems I was going back to the Tang Dynasty, to the Golden Age. It was just so exquisite.

Paul Warner, classical composer

‘Shen’ means divine, and ‘yun’ denotes the feeling behind a movement.

Shen Yun Performing Arts Lincoln Center David H. Koch Theater Tickets Online: ShenYun.com/NYC Hotline: 800-818-2393 Running Time 2 hours, 15 minutes (one intermission) Date & Time March 4 at 7:30 p.m.

March 5 at 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

March 6 at 1:30 p.m.

March 9, 10, & 11 at 7:30 p.m.

March 12 at 2:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

March 13 at 1:30 p.m.

Gary Stephenson said Shen Yun showed the power of art after seeing it in Baltimore on Feb. 9.

glosses over the dramatic events of China’s history—either ancient or current.

A newly ascended emperor fights to defend his birthright. A husband and wife are separated because of a force of evil. Spiritual beliefs are nearly quashed under a communist regime.

The difference is, Ms. Vollink explained, that any darkness portrayed in Shen Yun “was delineated.” They were specific things that the good was fighting against. “It wasn’t just an endemic, generic violence, [the] degradation of the entire culture.”

Sometimes these stories are tearjerkers, and other times they fill the auditorium with laughter. Either way, audience members find them to be filled with meaning.

Gary Stephenson, who attended a performance in Baltimore on Feb. 9, had a lot to say about the narratives showing courage in the face of oppression.

“It’s all very, very touching, but the most touching one was the vignette with the Red Guard [“Monks and the Red Guards”], and you see this man being beaten down, but you see ultimately his faith transforms him and he recovers, and he’s never lost his faith—that, to me, was extraordinarily compelling.”

Mr. Stephenson was dismayed to find out that Chinese people in the mainland cannot see a performance by Shen Yun. “The fact that this cannot be seen in China where it originates from is a tragedy to me personally,” said Mr. Stephenson. “Whenever people are oppressed anywhere in the world, art is one of the first vehicles to rebel against that oppression, and art can do what guns and bombs can’t do.”

Roots 5,000 Years Deep The very existence of Shen Yun performing Arts is due to a need for the revival of China’s traditional culture. Audience members describe this realization as a sense of clarity, after seeing the performance.

This is particularly powerful for Chinese people who now live overseas after fleeing the oppression of the communist regime. Many have grown up indoctrinated with the idea that being patriotic is equivalent to belief in the Communist Party above any other belief.

Since the communist regime came to rule China in 1949, it has killed more than both world wars combined. But beyond the physical terror it has inflicted on its own people, the regime has sought to destroy all moral and spiritual principles that have guided the Chinese people over the millenia.

Throughout its 5,000-year-old history, none of the dynasties that ruled China had sought to completely destroy spiritual belief, a reverence for the divine, or respect for one’s family and ancestral legacy.

Case in point—when the Manchu, an ethnic minority came to rule over the estimated 150 million Chinese as the last of China’s dynasties—the Qing (1644–1911)—they adopted the Chinese ways of government, complete with political ideology and moral values derived from Confucianism that prevailed during the deposed Ming Dynasty.

The Manchu excelled at martial arts and horsemanship and were generally a dynamic lot who were used to tighter fitting clothes, riding boots, and pony tails. They imposed these on the Chinese people but kept the symbols of rule, such

Paul Solomon, a violinist, saw Shen Yun in New York on Jan. 14.

Paul Warner, a composer, saw Shen Yun in Escondido, Calif., on Jan. 27.

as the golden dragon, so the Qing imperial robes combined Chinese elegance with the robust, barbaric splendor of the Manchu.

Among Shen Yun’s dances are many that depict the cultures of its many ethnicities and dynasties, such as the the great Tang Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, and many others. This year, in the dance “Manchurian Maidens,” elegant ladies of the Manchurian royal palace dance in raised “flower pot” shoes and wide, elaborate headdresses.

Boundless As Shen Yun continues to inspire audience members worldwide, it is becoming clear that this culture transcends boundaries of all sorts and requires no prior knowledge of Chinese history, because it goes straight to the heart.

“It was the most amazing experience of my life. Absolutely,” said Tom Paino, a chemist who works for the U.S. government. He felt absolutely uplifted, and said it was as if the divine had manifested as human beings right before his eyes.

Mr. Paino had walked into Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 20. feeling “very dejected about my life, about the human race, about everything going on in this world.”

Then he saw Shen Yun, and “I just felt like now there is hope. ... There’s hope for each of us individually as well as for all of us collectively. I just feel so inspired. It’s beyond words.

I can’t describe it,” Mr. Paino said.

Others who tried to make it to Shen Yun for years, made sure that finally, this season, they wouldn’t miss it.

Sathsowi Thay Koroghli and her mother missed last year’s Shen Yun performance in Las Vegas because it was sold out, so they bought 100 tickets and treated their friends and family to the show. Ms. Sathsowi Thay Koroghli (her friends call her Susie) is the daughter of a Cambodian princess and granddaughter of King Sisowath Monivong.

“Beautiful, it was very beautiful, inspirational,” she said after seeing the performance on Jan. 23 . “We’re really glad that we did this! It touched something in me also, because no matter what religion you are, it’s about being kind and opening up your mind to learning just to have a nice wisdom about life,” said Ms. Sathsowi Thay Koroghli.

Compared to the Cambodian royal family, Paul Solomon may have had better luck, having easily seen Shen Yun twice. He saw it in 2015, and then attended the opening night performance this year on Jan. 14 at the David H. Koch Theater as well.

“It’s important to preserve heritage. It’s amazing. I had no clue there were 5,000 years of such beautiful history,” said Mr. Solomon.

The first time he attended the performance he brought his two children, one 8 and the other 11, and the two greatly enjoyed it as well. Mr. Solomon, a musician for the Forest Hills Symphony Orchestra, enjoyed the music of the performance so much that he immediately purchased the orchestra CD and now regularly listens to Shen Yun’s compositions while driving.

“The whole show was precision, beauty, mystery, magic. It was just unbelievable,” said Mr. Solomon, encapsulating the sentiments of countless audience members who have been touched by the artistry of Shen Yun throughout the last decade, and will no doubt be in the future.

C3

@EpochArts

March 4–10, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES

Pianist Hélène Grimaud at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in New York on Feb. 9.

Hélène Grimaud founded the Wolf Conservation Center in upstate New York.

NYWolf.org

Hélène Grimaud performs the piano pieces of her “Water” Deutsche Grammophon album on Douglas Gordon’s installation “tears become... streams become...” at the Park Avenue Armory in December 2014.

JAMES EWING/OTTO

PI AN I S T

Hélène Grimaud on Her Tribute to

WATER Water continued from C1 Nature as Muse Hiking through woods, up mountains, or being anywhere in nature is the best place for Grimaud to slow down, be quiet, and start listening. “You have no choice then but to fill that space. That’s when things start to develop, and the imagination starts to blossom,” she said.

In line with her affinity with the German romantic movement’s precept of the artist penetrating the depths of creativity through a communion with nature, Grimaud bridges two worlds like an ambassador wolf. “When you are on stage there is that wonderful aspect of being like a medium, in the literal sense of the word, where you are this open channel that connects the world of the audience to the world of the composer. … It’s a great responsibility but it is also something very liberating,” she said.

Grimaud feels freest when she is performing in a great space with optimal conditions.

“There is nothing like that to help you take off and just fly to another dimension,” she said. But she hardly ever feels at ease wearing dresses during performances or at any other time. “I’m always happier to just go on stage wearing a slight variation of a pajama kind of outfit,” she said, laughing.

Sometimes when she plays the piano or listens to music, she experiences the sounds in color. Her synesthesia is consistent. For her, D minor is always dark blue, C minor is always black, G is green, F is red, and B flat is yellow.

“The color changes with every modulation in the piece, but the dominant color is the one of the tonality in which the piece is written,” she said. It doesn’t happen every time she plays or listens to music, and it doesn’t necessarily help her memorize the music, “but it’s nevertheless a beautiful thing to be experiencing,” she said.

Grimaud is known for her courage in keeping to her artistic vision. The way she determines if a certain rendition or choice of repertoire is true is fluid. “Each performance is always different, and it should be because otherwise it would be the beginning of the end,” she said. If she performs exceptionally well at a concert, it’s difficult resisting the wish to reproduce that experience the same way the next night. But “that runs counter to the various principles of invention and interpretation,” she said. So she makes an abstraction out of what transpired and starts anew every time, being true to spontaneity and “going with the flow,” she said.

Acknowledging the fleeting nature of per-

The best way to achieve mindfulness is to pay attention to the person that’s in front of you, to really look into their eyes.

Hélène Grimaud

BENJAMIN CHASTEEN/EPOCH TIMES

“Each time I perform or record, I find myself in Heraclitus’s shoes, wading out into the water and there meeting myself anew.”

forming, Grimaud realized a long time ago that she wanted to make a difference in other ways as well. “You can’t just hope that if you have at least touched a few people in a performance that’s enough. There’s still the little acts of every day, which collectively make a huge difference, probably more of a difference [in the long run],” she said.

Music and wildlife conservation may not seem to have much in common on the surface, but Grimaud said it helps her put things in perspective as to what truly matters.

Being with wolves she learned respect. “You learn to meet another being on their terms, which is a great lesson of humility, based on listening and paying attention and being mindful. It’s about living in the moment and that interaction where you have to be 100 percent present physically, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually,” she said.

But that is not what she finds most interesting about this endangered predator. The wolves remind us of a broader issue that affects everyone on the planet. “You have to save habitat.

You can’t seriously talk about preserving that species without talking about their home. It’s about the health of the ecosystem in general, so it’s more than just about one species.” With that line of thought, she created what she likes to call a musical ecosystem.

Water With the intensity of her gaze, Grimaud has focused on the most pressing ecological and humanitarian crisis of our time. “We are water.

The majority of our bodies, like the surface of our planet, is constituted of water. Life cannot exist without it,” she wrote in her liner notes for her latest Deutsche Grammophon album, “Water.”

It combines nine piano pieces of 19th and 20th century composers, including Berio, Ravel, Liszt, and Debussy, and reunites two incarnations of a two-year project in collaboration with the Turner Prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon and the composer and producer, Nitin Sawhney.

In December 2014 Grimaud’s performance at the Park Avenue Armory in Gordon’s sitespecific installation, “tears become … streams become …” was recorded live with just a couple of small microphones—initially only for archival purposes.

Water was pumped silently to a specially engineered floor in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall. For about 20 minutes the audience watched puddles seep up into the floor, getting

larger, and eventually uniting like magnets to form a 4-inch-deep black lake. Grimaud then walked to the piano on a platform, to an island in the middle of the huge mirage that reflected the buttressed ceiling of the vast hall. By that point the public had enough time to quiet their minds and to be more receptive to the music.

“There was this otherworldly quality to the installation … quite magical and hypnotic. It was the perfect écrin, as we say in French, this jewel box for what was about to happen musically,” she said.

Although the recording was an afterthought, she eventually decided the sound captured in the Armory was best for the album. “The sound reflecting off of that water surface was something that you can’t hear anywhere else,” she said. She was delighted to let that ephemeral collaboration with Gordon live longer through the album.

To complete “Water” she invited the boundary-crossing composer Nitin Sawhney to produce it and create the transitions between each of the nine piano pieces. Sawhney seamlessly stitched the repertoire, which is so fragile, vulnerable, and poetic.

Grimaud said it’s an album designed to be listened to, preferably, from beginning to end.

“There is nothing interchangeable about those transitions. Basically, it takes you from the last note of the Berio and leads you into the first note of the Takemitsu and so on,” Grimaud said. It is quite a feat to stitch that repertoire— all inspired by water—together, as “Water” travels far and wide in terms of moods yet remains intense throughout.

Whether listening to “Water,” or to Grimaud performing on stage, she can bring you to the present moment. “The best way to achieve mindfulness is to pay attention to the person that’s in front of you, to really look into their eyes so that you really connect to the fullest. Otherwise, it’s to develop as much empathy and compassion. I think that’s what life’s journey is about. It’s easier said than done, but hopefully this is a state that you reach as you mature,” she said.

Hélène Grimaud performs with the Philadelphia Orchestra on March 3–5 at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

“This Is New York” is a feature series that delves into the lives of inspiring individuals in New York. See all our TINYs here: epochtim.es/TINY or follow @milenefernandez on Twitter.

C4

@EpochArts

March 4–10, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts

Theater Review

POLINA21/ISTOCK

ENTHUSIASM Has No Place in Repressive School RICHARD TERMINE

By Diana Barth

N

EW YORK—�Women Without Men� is a remarkable play, springing as it did from the brain and pen of a young Irish actress named Hazel Ellis. Ellis trained at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre and went on to perform in a variety of plays at the noted Gate Theatre in the 1930s. She wrote only two plays: “Portrait in Marble� and “Women Without Men,� which both attracted good critical and audience attention.

Now, New York’s Mint Theater Company, whose goal is to unearth and produce worthy forgotten plays of the past, is presenting “Women Without Men� with an all-female cast and crew. This decision is only fitting, as the play takes place entirely within the bounds of a sitting room in a fictitious private girls school in Dublin.

And it’s easy enough to believe that one is actually viewing events in such a site, as the remarkable set by Vicki R. Davis, enhanced by Joshua Yocom’s props, pulls one into the story.

An interesting event has just taken place. A new, fledgling teacher has been hired. Furthermore, she’s young and attractive, and all the old regulars are eager to meet Miss Jean Wade (Emily Walton).

Jean proves to be very popular with the students—not so popular with the regulars, some of whom are a bit sour basically. These women have endured a pretty routine life within the walls of the school for many years, with not much chance for advancement or being able to put aside enough money to enable them to enjoy their retirement.

The eight women get along with one another, more or less. This is best accomplished by keeping to one’s self and not getting too involved.

Matron (Amelia White), Ruby (Kate Middleton),

‘Women Without Men’ New York City Center, Stage II 131 W. 55th St. Tickets 212-581-1212 or MintTheater.org Running Time 2 hours, 15 minutes (one intermission) Closes March 26

(L–R) Emily Walton, Dee Pelletier, Aedin Moloney, and Kate Middleton play teachers in an all-women cast.

Margaret Willoughby (Aedin Moloney), and Marjorie Strong (Mary Bacon) follow this line.

But some of the women have projects: Mademoiselle Vernier (Dee Pelletier) is knitting a rug, which she insists on working on in the sitting room, as her own room is too cold. Dublin in the ‘30s lacks modern heating equipment.

The rather stuy Miss Connor (Kellie Overbey) has been finding sparse moments of time over the past 20 years to write a book on beauty in the world. Needless to say, this labor of love consumes her. If anything should happen to it!

But something does happen. There is a fox in the henhouse. Someone destroys Connor’s

manuscript, which throws the entire company into a tizzy as they all seek to discover the culprit. Suspicion lands on Jean and fireworks ensue.

Almost everyone’s emotions surge to the surface, and people who had hitherto seemed detached now show their true colors, especially Connor (giving actress Kellie Overbey a fine opportunity to take the stage quite passionately).

All ends well, fortunately.

Arguably, of more interest than the plot is the viewing of several women in a cloistered and suocating environment, and how societal norms and pressures aected them. This was a time when women’s chief goal was to

marry and hold sway in the home. Here, only headmistress Mrs. Newcome (Joyce Cohen) is married.

Interestingly, playwright Ellis has given Jean an out. She has decided that teaching is not for her. Furthermore, she has a fiance who, in fact, awaits her outside the school at the end of the semester. She will be all right. What of the others?

As is typical of Mint productions, all the elements succeed on a high level. Individual performances are top-drawer, resulting in excellent ensemble playing, under the sensitive hand of director Jenn Thompson. Not to be overlooked are the authentic costumes by Martha Hally. (Ladies, remember those stockings with seams?)

The three young students are well played by Beatrice Tulchin, Shannon Harrington, and Alexa Shae Niziak.

A very entertaining and thoughtful production and a fine addition to the Mint’s roster of close to 50 oerings since 1995.

Diana Barth writes for several publications, including her New Millennium, an arts publication. She may be contacted at DiaBarth@juno.com

$3

S Lo hoc w ki Pr ng ice !

9 95 ea

ch

Actual size is 40.6 mm

Are YOU one of the One Percent?

REVEALED: Less than 1 in 100 can ever own a perfect American Silver Eagle

M

illions of people collect the American Eagle Silver Dollar. In fact it’s been the country’s most popular Silver Dollar for thirty years. But many people who buy an American Eagle Silver Dollar don’t realize that they might actually be buying the wrong coin!

There’s an elite, top quality Silver Eagle coin that many don’t know about. A top-of the-line Silver Dollar so exclusive that less than one person in every 100 can ever own one.

If you’re someone who only wants the best of the best—but also doesn’t want to pay a huge premium for top quality— make sure no one’s looking over your shoulder...then keep reading:

The Secret One Percent American Eagle Silver Dollars are issued by the U.S. Mint by the millions. In recent years, over 40 MILLION Silver Eagles have been issued per year. But less than 1% of all the coins struck in a given year ever earn a perfection grade. Respected independent grading services, such as Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), examine tens of thousands of coins

to determine which have earned the highest grade of quality.

Coin grading is based on a universal 70-point scale. The highest grade any coin can achieve is a perfect Mint State 70 grade (MS70).

When you own a perfect 70-grade American Silver Eagle, you own something that less than 1% of the population can ever claim. Compared to the total mintage struck, there are relatively few PCGS graded Silver Eagles. Better yet, owning a perfect graded coin gives you peace of mind because both the coin and its grade are sealed in an archival acrylic holder.

Professionally graded coins are universally accepted, but are also harder to find, which adds to their collectible value.

30th Anniversary of America’s Favorite Silver Dollar 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of massive, hefty one ounce American Eagle Silver Dollars. The beloved design features Lady Liberty draped in a U.S. flag on one side and a majestic U.S. Eagle and shield on the other. It’s a masterpiece in stunning pure silver!

Timing is Everything Our advice? Keep this to yourself. The more people who know the secret of perfect grade Silver Eagles, the worse for you. Demand for Silver Eagles in recent years has shattered records. Experts predict that the new 30th anniversary 2016 Silver Eagles may break them once again.

Don’t be one of the 99%—get the very best! Call immediately to secure these perfect grade American Eagle Silver Dollars NOW! 2016 American Eagle Silver Dollar in Perfect Mint State 70 Grade only $39.95 ea. (plus s/h)

FREE SHIPPING on 4 or More!

Limited time only. Product total over $150 before taxes (if any). Standard domestic shipping only. Not valid on previous purchases.

GovMint.com

Prices and availability subject to change without notice. Facts and figures deemed accurate as of February 2016. NOTE: GovMint.comŽ is a private distributor of worldwide government coin and currency issues and privately issued and licensed collectibles, and is not affiliated with the United States government. GovMint.com is not an investment company and does not offer financial advice or sell items as an investment. The collectible coin market is speculative, and coin values may rise or fall over time. All rights reserved. Š 2016 GovMint.com.

THE BEST SOURCE FOR COINS WORLDWIDE™

For fastest service, call today toll-free

1-800-222-1975 Offer Code EMS112-01

Please mention this code when you call.

C5

@EpochArts

March 4–10, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts NEILSON BARNARD/GETTY IMAGES

Renée Fleming & Olga Kern March 9 at 8 p.m.

Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall From the first phrases she sings to the last notes of a stunning encore, soprano Renée Fleming captivates each time she takes the stage. One of the great operatic sopranos of all time and a marvelously insightful song interpreter, Fleming is an irresistible performer. $22–$137.

CarnegieHall.org

THINGS TO DO COMMUNITY EVENTS NEW IN MANHATTAN A Real Legend March 5 at 8 p.m.

656 W. 125th St. The Cotton Club proudly presents a tribute to Dick Gregory: comedian, actor, author, activist, and health expert. Includes special performance tribute by Curtis B Sterling. $40 for show, $75 for dinner and show.

Cotton Club: 212-663-7980, Curtis B Sterling: 917-808-7573, and M. Peavy: 917-685-6522.

CottonClub-NewYork.com

ONGOING IN MANHATTAN New York & The Nation Ongoing The Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History, 170 Central Park West Explore the story of New York and America in the Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History. $20 adults, $12 students, $15 seniors. NYHistory.org Family Sundays at Rubin Museum Ongoing 150 W. 17th St. Bring your family to the Museum for a Sunday afternoon full of familyfriendly activities. Drop into the Education Center for some artmaking, enjoy our 2 p.m. family exhibition tour, or go on your own thematic gallery search.

Free. RubinMuseum.org Film Society of Lincoln Center Ongoing Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 144 W. 65th St.; Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St. Year-round programming that includes premieres of new films from an international roster of established and emerging directors. $14.

FilmLinc.com

VISUAL ARTS NEW IN MANHATTAN

Northern Dynasties, Early Chinese Buddhist Sculpture March 12 at 3 p.m.

Throckmorton Fine Art 145 E. 57th St., 3rd Floor Lecture by Dr. Qing Chang.

Exhibition runs March 3– April 23 ThrockMorton-NYC.com

ONGOING IN MANHATTAN Korean Art: 100 Years of Collecting at the Met Through March 27 Dubbed the “hermit kingdom,” Korea was then little known to the Western world. Today, its traditional arts, as well as pop music, film, and drama, are celebrated markers of global culture. $12–$25 suggested.

METMuseum.org The Luxury of Time: European Clocks and Watches Through March 27 Metropolitan Museum of Art Time is all around us, displayed on our phones and computers.

Today, almost nobody needs to own a watch or a clock to tell the time. Access to the right time is not the luxury it once was. Yet the fascination with clocks and watches persists, and the thriving market for mechanical timekeepers is deeply aware of their history. $12–$25 suggested.

METMuseum.org Vigée Le Brun: Woman Artist in Revolutionary France Through May 15 Metropolitan Museum of Art Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (French, 1755–1842) is one of the finest eighteenthcentury French painters and among the most important of all women artists. An autodidact with exceptional skills as a portraitist, she achieved success in France and Europe during one of the most eventful, turbulent periods in

European history. $12–$25 suggested. METMuseum.org

PERFORMING ARTS NEW IN MANHATTAN L’Elisir d’Amore March 10–April 7 Metropolitan Opera Everyone in the village loves the spry Adina and the slowbut-likeable Nemorino— but when will they admit their love for each other?

Soprano Aleksandra Kurzak and tenor Vittorio Grigolo bring their magnetism to the two lead roles, with the renowned Alessandro Corbelli as the loveable con man who sells the “magic elixir” of love. Enrique Mazzola conducts Bartlett Sher’s vibrant production. From $25.

MetOpera.org

NEW ELSEWHERE Cinderella March 12–13 BAM Fisher, Fishman Space, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn Captivating solo performer Shona Reppe presents a witty reinterpretation of the classic fable. Set on an inventive tabletop stage, this production uses puppetry, secret hatches, hidden doors and a handbag full of magic to tell Cinderella’s story. At once lush and minimal, Reppe’s Cinderella engages young audiences’ imagination, inviting them to complete the story for a truly dynamic theatrical experience. $15. BAM.org

ONGOING IN MANHATTAN Don Pasquale March 4–18 Metropolitan Opera Donizetti’s lighthearted farce stars celebrated debutante soprano Eleonora Buratto, tenor Javier Camarena, a

new king of the high Cs, and baritone Ambrogio Maestri, the recent and unforgettable Met Falstaff—an ideal team for this comic romp. Otto Schenk’s 2006 production provides a colorful backdrop.

Maurizio Benini conducts.

From $25. MetOpera.org

by Alberto Alonso’s fiery “Carmen Suite,” inspired

by Bizet’s sensuous and spirited opera. $36-$45.

BrooklynCenter.org

Manon Lescaut Through March 11 Metropolitan Opera Director Richard Eyre places the action in occupied France in a film noir setting.

“Desperate passion” is the phrase Puccini himself used to describe the opera that confirmed his position as the preeminent Italian opera composer of his day. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi leads the stirring score.

From $32.

MetOpera.org

NEW IN MANHATTAN

NEW ELSEWHERE West Side Story March 4 at 8 p.m.

Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Ave., Queens The Weill Music Institute presents West Side Story, a work that speaks closely to WMI’s mission of supporting music in the community and around the world. Performed at the Knockdown Center—a restored factory in Queens— it features professional artists in lead roles and the participation of high school students and community members from around the city. Limited availability via Carnegie Hall: 212-247-7800.

Moscow Festival Ballet’s Romeo and Juliet/Carmen Suite March 5 at 8 p.m.

Brooklyn Center, Whitman Theatre, 2900 Avenue H, Brooklyn The power of love and the finality of death collide as two of the greatest tragic masterpieces of all time are re-invented in this double-bill of oneact ballets. The program begins with a restaging of Shakespeare’s tragedy “Romeo and Juliet,” set to the music of Tchaikovsky and choreographed by legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko. This is followed

MUSIC Vilde Frang and Michail Lifits March 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall The young Norwegian violinist Vilde Fran has been turning heads across Europe. Her playing is dynamic, complex, and completely personal. $43. CarnegieHall.org Vicente Amigo March 4 at 8 p.m.

Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall Vicente Amigo is a Latin Grammy Award winner and Guitar Player magazine’s Best International Flamenco Guitarist. Steeped in the classic style while constantly innovating, Amigo is at the forefront of a new generation of flamenco performers. $17–$65.

CarnegieHall.org Labyrinthine Danube: 18th-Century Austria March 5 at 7:30 p.m.

First Church of Christ, Central Park West at 68th Street Early Music New York’s Classical orchestra performs symphonies and divertimenti by Austria’s Franz Josef and brother Michael Haydn, father Leopold and son Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Bohemian Franz Benda, and Jan Dismas Zelenka. $20-$40.

EarlyMusicNY.org New York Piano Society Gala Benefit Concert March 5 at 8 p.m.

Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall The New York Piano Society, a non-profit that seeks to develop non-professional pianists who have careers outside of music, presents a potpourri of characters who spend their working hours as doctors, consultants, engineers, and CEOs. Includes works by Bach, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt, Rachmaninoff, and more. $60– $100. CarnegieHall.org Quatuor Ebène March 11 at 7:30 p.m.

Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall

Quatuor Ebène brings its oneof-a-kind energy, versatility, and virtuosity to a program of revelatory quartets. $55–$65.

CarnegieHall.org The Chieftains March 12 at 8 p.m.

123 W. 43rd St. Six-time Grammy Award winners, The Chieftains, have been highly recognized for reinventing traditional Irish music on a contemporary and International scale. $50–$125.

TheTownHall.org National Council Grand Finals Concert March 13 at 3 p.m.

Metropolitan Opera Some of today’s greatest singers got their start in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions including Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, Stephanie Blythe, Eric Owens, Patricia Racette, Deborah Voigt, Angela Meade, and Frederica von Stade. From $25. MetOpera.org Bartók and Frank March 18 at 7 p.m.

Metropolitan Museum, The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium Composer Gabriela Lena Frank draws on her Peruvian roots for “Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout,” written for Chiara String Quartet Series. $50, museum admission included.

MetMuseum.org/events

ONGOING IN MANHATTAN Spiral Music Wednesdays Rubin Museum, 150 W. 17th St. Spiral Music presents acoustic music every Wednesday evening at the base of the museum’s spiral staircase.

Artists who specialize in music from the Himalayas and South Asia are invited to forge a connection between their music and the art in the galleries. Free.

RubinMuseum.org

Dear Readers If you have an event to suggest, please send details to NYC_Arts@ EpochTimes.com in the format you see here.

C6

@EpochArts

March 4–10, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts

Qeelin

Dennis Chan’s Dream of Bringing the Best of China Into the Modern Age

By Chun Lee | Epoch Times Staff SAN FRANCISCO—It all began in the ancient caves of Dunhuang in Northern China. On a drive of a thousand miles to reconnect with his cultural roots, Dennis Chan instead ignited a dream.

Like countless travelers before him, Chan found himself inspired as he traversed thoroughfares that once made up the legendary Silk Road, a crossroads of cultural exchange between East and West. A fortuitous stop brought him to the city of Dunhuang in Gansu Province, which once served as an outpost along the Southern Silk Road in ancient times.

In the nearby Dunhuang Caves, a series of temples carved into the sides of cliffs containing artwork and statues of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and cave patrons, the designer had a revelation that would take him on a seven-year journey to create something the world had not seen before: an international fine jewelry brand blending Chinese inspiration and world-class European craftsmanship.

“You are facing something that’s more than a thousand years old and it’s still there,” he said.

The enormity of his country’s illustrious cultural history brought Chan to tears.

While exploring one of the caves, Chan was captivated by a mural of wealthy ladies with their faces delicately painted with butterflies and birds, adorned with elegant hairstyles and exquisite jewelry.

In that moment, in front of those majestic and venerable pieces of art, the dream of Qeelin was born.

You can see in this small universe [of jewelry], there are a lot of things happening.

Dennis Chan

A Qeelin Xi Xi pendant.

Updating Chinese Design It was a dream to bring the best of Chinese design to the world, in a contemporary way.

“Even nowadays when people talk about Chi-

Guests with Chinese calligraphy during the unveiling of Qeelin Collections in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 20.

nese design, the best of Chinese design, they’re talking about Ming Dynasty furniture or Qing Dynasty porcelain, nothing modern,” Chan said. “I love to buy Chinese products, but what I want to buy doesn’t exist on the market—I mean artisan quality—so I decided to create it myself.”

“We’re not copying what’s been done before.

We’re creating something new, something that belongs to this century, belongs to the present,” said the designer at a recent unveiling of his collection in Santa Clara, California. Chan had always been a designer, his interest in luxury goods did not materialize until he started learning about luxury brands’ legacies. It was the stories and concepts that hooked him.

Culture, in his mind, is what really defines luxury.

“Every country has a brand that symbolizes them, a national hero. France has Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, Italy has Bvlgari, Japan has Mikimoto; they all have their very strong identity, cultural background, philosophy, aesthetics, appreciation, but no Chinese brands. We have 5,000 years of history. We have a lot of rich culture, but why do we not have brands?” he said.

To that end, Chan conceived a designer collection for the modern woman of taste and style that translates the deep cultural roots and spirit of China into contemporary designs using rarefied French craftsmanship and the finest materials on Earth.

“I wanted to create a top-tier brand, with a higher quality than the high-end brands out there, a world-class international brand,” Chan said.

And he’s aiming high: “A thousand years from now, I want people to look back and say Qeelin was the best example, the highest form of Chinese design from our modern era.”

Today he has 25 stand-alone boutiques around the world in places like the venerated Palais-Royal on the grounds of the Louvre, another beacon of high culture.

An Auspicious Pairing When two planets align, it’s a magnificent sight to behold. Similarly, when a pair of terrestrial stars comes together, it can set off fireworks. It was one such fortuitous occasion, where celebrity, media, and fashion aligned, that catapulted Qeelin to stratospheric heights.

Over dinner one night in 2004, Chan told his friend, well-known Hong Kong actress and fashion icon Maggie Cheung, about Qeelin. The two of them share a similar background, having been born and raised in Hong Kong, studied in the U.K., and worked internationally, while keeping their home base in Hong Kong.

She was so moved by the story of his brand, instinctively recognizing that he had created something “very different,” that she asked to wear one of his pieces to the Cannes Film Festival. Cheung was a nominee for best actress that year, for her role in the movie “Clean.”

The piece she chose was a pair of Wulu earrings. This design is deeply rooted in Chinese folklore and is described on Qeelin’s website:

Qeelin co-founder Dennis Chan and CH Premier staff during the unveiling of Qeelin Collections at CH Premier Jewelers in the Westfield shopping center in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 20.

“Bound to many legends, invested with magical powers, Wulu is the strongest expression of good fortune and positive energy in China.

Its contemporary lines echo the curves of the cherished number 8.”

The designation of eight as a lucky number results from its likeness to the symbol for infinity as well as its sound. When pronounced in Cantonese or Mandarin, the number eight sounds similar to words that mean wealth, prosperity, and fortune.

As fate would have it, Cheung won best actress that year, and her image was broadcast around the world. The sight of a radiant style and cinema icon accepting her award dripping in diamonds—Wulu Qeelin earrings— set off a chain reaction that most designers can only dream of. Inquiries about the piece came pouring in.

Just a week later, Chan found himself selling his now-famous Wulu design at the historic luxury Hotel de Crillon in Paris. From there, he moved into the world-renowned luxury emporium Collette and then the Palais-Royal, where he’s been for 13 years.

The partnership continues to this day, sometimes behind the camera and in the workshop, as the designer’s muse.

Big Dreams, Bigger Heart From the unique sound of natural diamonds ringing in the ear to tiny jewel-encrusted bells to ward off evil in the Ling Long collection, to the Tien Di collection of rings celebrating a harmonious relationship between heaven and earth and everlasting love, each piece acts as a singular expression of the culture.

“I very much love my history and my culture, especially the Tang Dynasty, and want to share that richness with the world,” Chan said. He launched the brand in 2004 with then-CEO Guillaume Brochard, and serves as chairman and creative director.

It is only natural that Chan takes inspiration from the Tang Dynasty, as it was considered the Golden Age of China when art and culture were at their zenith.

Chinese culture is steeped in tradition and spiritual belief. It’s this cultural essence, rooted in 5,000 years of history, that creates the foundation of each Qeelin collection.

Jewelry also carries significance beyond its superficial appeal, evoking memories of times gone by and emotions locked deep within. It’s no mere coincidence that Chan’s name in Chinese refers to the auspicious Qilin, a mythological character in Chinese history known to bring prosperity, serenity, and love.

For Chan, each symbol or collection has its own story.

In particular, the Yu Yi Collection takes its cue from a small lock given to himby his mother as a protective amulet in his childhood.

Qeelin.com states, “Worn as an accessory in ancient China, Yu Yi is a symbol of protection and spiritual potency. Often depicted in traditional arts and crafts, Yu Yi is a dream fulfiller.”

C7

@EpochArts

March 4–10, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts ALL PHOTOS BY CHRISTIAN LAMBERT FOR EPOCH TIMES

Qeelin co-founder Dennis Chan helps Katherine Park with the Wu Lu pendant.

Chan hopes his Yu Yi pieces engender similar feelings of tenderness and warmth for his clients, many of whom buy a piece for themselves and another for their mothers.

Memories of his mother still inform his vision of the archetypal Qeelin customer—someone supremely confident, independent, and interesting, who knows what she likes and what she is looking for.

For his mother, these qualities were forged in the furnace of adversity. They helped her not only sustain herself, but also flourish during a time of great peril and national upheaval.

She was able to start a new life in Hong Kong after fleeing at the last moment from communist rule. With Chan’s grandfather, she took a private plane out of Guangzhou City in Guangdong Province to Hong Kong with two boxes of gold bars and her maids.

As Chan tells it, his grandfather, a businessman who traded in tea leaves while living in China, endowed him with great creativity.

His grandfather opened a theater after fleeing China with Chan’s mother to avoid communist suppression.

As Chan explains it, at that time it was difficult to find artists to create the artwork necessary to attract theatergoers for each movie, so his grandfather had to spend many nights drawing posters on his own to put outside the cinema.

“My grandfather was a good painter; otherwise, how could he do it? Maybe my artistic proficiency is from my mother’s side?” Chan said.

One needs not the knowledge of 5,000 years to feel inspired.

Customers don’t always know what the signature WuLu gourd is, for instance, “but the lines are beautiful, so they buy it.”

And some delve into the culture and learn.

Newcomers Why has Qeelin, a relatively young brand compared to its European contemporaries who trace their lineage a couple of centuries back, resonated deeply with so many discerning luxury connoisseurs around the globe?

Chan recounts when friends told him he was crazy, pouring his own time and money into creating a jewelry brand to compete with boutiques that have centuries behind them. It took Chan seven years of meticulous planning to make his dream a reality.

“Because they don’t know the emotion behind it,” Chan said. “Sometimes you need crazy dreams. Big ambitions with Chinese emotions.”

Big emotions that Chan has managed to translate into his designs.

“Sometimes people even hold my hands with tears in their eyes because they really appreciate what I’m doing and are proud of it. They even think they are part of Qeelin. So it’s not something commercial, it’s a guy with big ambitions and Chinese sentiment in mind,” he said. It’s a fine line; any misstep and it becomes

Dennis Chan (C), ELITE MAGAZINE Managing Director Ellen Wang (R), and guests at the Qeelin Collections unveiling in the Bay Area.

A unique Qeelin pendant ($340,000), worn by Taiwanese actress and model Dora Lohas (R), in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 20.

Every country has a brand that symbolizes them, a national hero.

Dennis Chan

CEO of Global Gratitude Project and model Rumiko McCarthy wears Qeelin jewelry.

too traditional, too cliche, or unbalanced. Like yin and yang, he said.

He needed to be able to compete in quality and craftsmanship as well, and set his sights on the world’s capital of luxury brands: Paris.

Chan knew he wanted to bring his story to Paris, and use fine French craftsmanship to produce the line. “Our workmanship is the best of the best,” Chan said, going into an explanation of the quality of the diamonds. The pieces are light, well-crafted, and durable: designed for daily wear. They are versatile—some allow the wearer to adjust the length and style—and in that sense whimsical as well.

And nearly two decades after Chan first set foot in those mysterious caves at Dunhuang, a new chapter in the saga of Qeelin began.

Mega luxury brand holder Kering acquired a majority stake in the company in 2012 as part of a move to expand its footprint in jewelry and international markets, a move that cemented Qeelin’s place in the global luxury market. In 2015, Kering appointed Christophe Artaux as CEO successor to Guillaume Brochard. Kering has 21 high-profile brands in its portfolio including Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Boucheron.

“I was honored when Kering approached me, because they have supported many independent cutting-edge designers like Stella McCartney and helped them expand their reach,” said Chan.

It is no small feat for a newcomer to be courted by such an omnipotent player.

Fate has smiled kindly on Chan, who remains humble and grateful, logging long hours and late nights jetting around the globe to introduce Qeelin to an international audience. He personally meets with his loyal customers at event after event. At a glittering evening of jewelry, culture, and entertainment, designerclad clientele, models, media, and moguls converged on CH Premier Jewelers in Santa Clara, California, to welcome the brand.

“My customers are modern ladies that love their life, they love their family.

They can reward themselves; they buy a piece of jewelry,” said Chan, beaming.

Qeelin may have begun a journey of rediscovery, but where the journey will end is anybody’s guess. Chan is relishing every aspect of the ride.

“You can see in this small universe [of jewelry], there are a lot of things happening,” he said.

Steve Ispas contributed to this report.

Dennis Chan watches customers try on his jewelry.

Chinese calligrapher Ray Chen at the unveiling of Qeelin Collections.

Photographer Douglas Despres and actress Katherine Park with two Qeelin pieces.

C8

@EpochArts

March 4–10, 2016 TheEpochTimes.com/EpochArts BERWALD ORIENTAL ART

OREN ECKHAUS; COURTESY OF J.J. LALLY & CO.

BERWALD ORIENTAL ART

A Neolithic russet-brown and yellow jade cong, circa 3300–2250 B.C. COURTESY OF ZETTERQUIST GALLERIES

Transitional ovoid jar and cover, circa 1640. Porcelain.

W W W.G ISELECRO ES.COM

Pair of sancai-glazed Lokapalas, Tang Dynasty (618–907). Glazed earthenware.

BERWALD ORIENTAL ART

WWW.PHOENIXANCIENTART.COM

Bronze bell, late Shang Dynasty (circa 1600–1050 B.C.). Bronze with green and blue patina, malachite, and azurite encrustation.

Carved Qingbai ewer, 1271–1368.

CHINESE ART Main Drawing Card for Chinese Buyers During Asia Week

By Kati Vereshaka | Epoch Times Staff

Large brush pot with scene of 2 monkeys taking peaches from a young girl.

Bronze buckle with ten monkeys in relief, second century B.C.

THROCKMORTON FINE ART

EN

ket, have noted that prices of Chinese art have become so high that, with very rare excepOver 20 individual galleries featuring Chinese tions, collectors are increasingly concerned art will participate in Asia Week New York with the long-term value of the work of art 2016 (AWNY) under the auspices of Asia Week they are buying.

New York Association, Inc. alone, not counting Eric Zetterquist from Zetterquist Galleries museums and auction houses. It is the most has also been part of AWNY since its incepimportant part of the season for any buyer of tion. He noted that a decade ago, there were a lot of new collectors in the field who, when Chinese art anywhere, so it goes without saystarting their collections, were buying a lot of ing that these collectors cannot miss AWNY. everything. “Now people are more focused on “It’s the moment when you’re most likely to see the highest quality and widest variety of adding fewer, but higher quality pieces to their Chinese art in New York,” James Lally told the collections.”

Epoch Times.

The gallery’s exhibition during AWNY titled Lally is the former director of Chinese works Early Chinese Ceramics with Selections from of art at Sotheby’s in New York and Hong Kong the Feng Wen Tang Collection features ceramics and former president of Sotheby’s in North that are extremely rare in terms of their forms America. Now the founder of the eponymous and quality, according to Zetterquist. gallery J.J. Lally & Co. Oriental Art in New York, One of the highlights is the “Carved Qingbai he has been participating in AWNY since its Ewer” dating from the Yuan Dynasty (1271– beginnings, approximately 20 years ago.

1368). It features peonies carved in deep relief Today, about 99 percent of Chinese buyers on the body of the ewer, which is covered overare buying Chinese art, to the exclusion of any all with a turquoise-blue translucent Qingbai other Oriental art or European art. glaze of a quality that suggests the piece to be WWW While this may tempt one to speculate of the highest quality of its time. .PH OE NI that buyers coming from mainland For gallery owner John Berwald XA NC I China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong of Berwald Oriental Art this will are all buying back their herbe his first year participating itage, this is only partly true in the AWNY, though he has been a long-term particaccording to Lally. ipant in the London Asia Week events.

Across the Ages He has observed that colHe noted that, withlecting styles and methout question, the biggest ods have changed over the change over the past 10 years, with a greater emphayears is the emergence of the mainland Chinese collectors sis on later porcelain and conand dealers who are now domtemporary art being the stronginating the market—particuest trends.

“Now there’s much more Inlaid mirror, Warring States larly at auction.

The exhibition titled Transivariety and activity in the (fourth–third century B.C). contemporary art field, and in Bronze, inlaid with gold and tional Treasures and a Selecterms of preference in the field turquoise. tion of Works from the Tang to of ancient art and antiques, Qing Dynasties encompasses there’s been a steady trend toward the Song a 50-year period that saw the decline and evenDynasty and later ceramics and works of art, tual fall of the Ming Dynasty and ended with the establishment of the new Manchurian instead of the Tang Dynasty and earlier works Qing Dynasty. According to the gallery’s press of art,” said Lally.

The exhibition showing at J.J. Lally & Co. durrelease, this period, lasting roughly from 1620 ing AWNY called Ancient Chinese Jade from the to the mid 1670s, shows a remarkable change Neolithic to the Han includes some mysteriin the style and subject matter of Chinese porous objects such as the Jade Cong (pronounced celain manufacture. The highly skilled artitsong) ritual object, cylindrical on the inside sans in China who had worked exclusively for but prismatic on the outside. Nobody knows imperial consumption, found themselves in why they were made or what they were used demand by a new clientele of wealthy merchants and literati-gentry who sought them for in Neolithic China, but the jade congs vary in size with some being two-tiered and othout not just for their technical finesse but also ers up to 16 tiers. Through modern archeoltheir imagination. ogy it’s been shown that these types of jade These elements are evident in the works on first appeared 5,000 years ago in the third or show from Berwald Oriental Art, such as the ovoid jar and cover, painted with a delicate fourth millennium B.C. design of birds and flowers.

“They’re a compelling shape that appeals to Other media represented in the works our eyes because of the apparent modernity of from China being shown during AWNY their minimalist form and also because of the mystery of something that is such a hard stone, include painting, sculpture, bronzes, so difficult to carve and [is] carved in such a and jewelry. beautiful way, in such early days, many thouThe best examples of works from China in various media will be part of the much anticsands of years ago,” said Lally. ipated sales presented by the major auction houses participating in AWNY between Value Lally, and dealers of Chinese art across the marMarch 10 and 19.

R TA

OM T.C

N O R T H E R N DYN A S T I E S E a r l y C h i n e s e B u d d h i s t S c u l p t u re Ca. 386-577 CE

March 3rd - April 23rd, 2016 Catalogue available: Northern Dynasties, $50.00 Image: C h i n a , S t a n d i n g B u d d h a , N o r t h e r n We i t o E a s t e r n We i Pe r i o d, c a . 5 3 0 - 5 5 0 C E , G re e n M a r b l e , H : 2 8 1 / 2 i n .

145 East 57th Street, 3rd. NY, NY 10022 Tel. 212 223 1059 Fax. 212 223 1937 Info@throckmorton-nyc.com www.throckmorton-nyc.com