'The Orient Expressed: Japan's Influence on Western Art, 1854-1918' On View at the Mississippi Museum of Art

Written by Camille Washington Wednesday, 16 November 2011 23:15

Jackson, MS.- 'The Orient Expressed: Japan’s Influence on Western Art, 1854-1918', will be on display at the Mississippi Museum of Art through July 17, 2011. Visitors to this eleventh exhibition in 'The Annie Laurie Swaim Hearin Memorial Exhibition Series' will learn about the cultural phenomenon known as Japonisme, through the presentation of more than 200 works of art from the 19th and early 20th centuries. First identified by French art critic Philippe Burty in 1872, Japonisme became a worldwide movement that deeply impacted the visual arts. The resulting influence of these pieces on the visual and decorative arts as well as architecture, music, theater, literature, graphic design, and even fashion was overwhelming and continues to this day. According to Mississippi Museum of Art Director Betsy Bradley, “The Museum has secured works from some of the most prestigious collections in France, Belgium, and throughout the United States. With the high caliber of' The Orient Expressed', we expect to host more visitors than any other exhibition the Museum has had previously.”

Mississippians and other visitors to 'The Orient Expressed' will be inspired by the impact of Japan on the West prior to World War I through paintings, printmaking, decorative arts, graphic design, and more. The Museum is working with guest curator and scholar Gabriel P. Weisberg to put together this insightful exhibition. In addition to the exemplary Western objects that will be showcased in 'The Orient Expressed', a select group of works from the Japanese art tradition will be incorporated to clarify specific influences. Dan Piersol, the Mississippi Museum of Art’s Deputy Director for Programs, states, “All of these aspects will elucidate the impact of Japonisme, and how it hastened the development of art nouveau and symbolism during the 1890s, and the advent of modernism.” Works of art will be borrowed from major museums and private collections around the United States and abroad including Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, Belgium; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawaii; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York; New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana; Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, Mississippi; and the Mississippi Museum of Art’s own collection. On view will be works by noted artists and manufacturers such as Robert Frederick Blum, Pierre Bonnard, Félix Buhot, Felix Bracquemond, Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, Charles Caryl Coleman, James Sidney Ensor, Paul Gauguin, Gorham Manufacturing Company, Childe Hassam, Utagawa Hiroshige, Helen Hyde, Georges Lacombe, John La Farge, Bertha Boynton Lum, Minton and Company, Charles Sprague Pearce, Rookwood Pottery, Henry Somm, James McNeill Whistler, Alfred Stevens, Theodore Wores, Tiffany & Co., and many more. Following its presentation in Jackson, The Orient Expressed will be on view at the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas, from October 5, 2011 through January 15, 2012.





Construction is complete on the newly renovated Mississippi Museum of Art, creating a beautiful new home for the Museum and its permanent collection of art. The renovation project, which took just under a year to complete, marks a historical day for Mississippi and its artistic legacy. Although the move from the Mississippi Arts Center to the new facility is small geographically, amounting to no more than a city block, it pushes the Museum light years ahead in terms of capabilities, technology, and the overall philosophy of what an art museum means to the community. The facility’s brilliant architectural makeover reflects the museum’s mission to become a symbolic “museum without walls”—an inviting public space that offers relevant and meaningful cultural experiences to both the Jackson community and the state of Mississippi. The architecture of the Museum is a tangible manifestation of a philosophical mission. For many years, the mission of MMA was “collecting, preserving and exhibiting art,” a typical museum mission statement. However, when the board of Trustees of the Museum began to plan the building process more than five years ago, the mission was changed to “engage Mississippians in the visual arts,” a statement that focuses on community interaction and personal experience. The Architects, Glavé and Holmes in Richmond, Virginia, and Dale & Associates locally, applied this new philosophical mission to the architecture of the building, creating a sleek, open design for the once-rectangular building. The museum lobby and entryway is filled with light through the use of a large amount of glass and by raising the roof of the entryway. Museum visitors plainly see not only the entrance to the Museum but other visitors inside the building, breaking down barriers and creating a transparent front door that makes everyone feel welcome. A vibrant café with wireless Internet encourages visitors to sit and relax, and a newly-added front porch creates a welcoming and comfortable space that is, literally, the front porch of the downtown cultural district.

The Mississippi Museum of Art has been a community-supported institution for more than 100 years, and was at its former location since the late 1970s. The Museum boasts a seasoned staff of museum professionals and fiscally responsible administrators who have been managing operating budgets for over 30 years. These individuals have worked to ensure that this move is the best thing for the art of Mississippi and for the people of Mississippi. The Museum’s twenty-nine affiliate museums across the state will continue to benefit from the loan of artwork and traveling exhibitions, ensuring that even those Mississippians who cannot make the trip to Jackson can enjoy our rich cultural history. MMA will use its new and larger home to expand its programs and community outreach that are already in place. The new museum will also play a pivotal role in the revitalization of downtown Jackson. Situated between Thalia Mara Hall and the new convention center, the Museum will serve as the centerpiece of Jackson's cultural district. Visitors to the convention center will get a grand impression of Mississippi's creative heritage. And meeting goers, as well as everyday downtowners, can adjourn to the Museum for particularly inspirational coffee breaks. It sets the stage for a remarkable rebirth. Mississippi has always had an abundant supply of creative energy. The Mississippi Museum of Art will be the new fountainhead attracting people from all walks to discuss the issues and glories of the past and present, while inspiring the future. Visit the museum's website at ... www.msmuseumart.org

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