From the collection of the Barakat Gallery with its 150-year tradition, Chinese artifacts with high aesthetic and historic value are presented. Featuring past and present Chinese art ranging from clay figures created during the Han Dynasty to quintessentially elegant sculpture work of the Sui Dynasty, exotic three-color ware from the Tang Dynasty, elaborate Guanyin (Avalokiteśvara, 觀音) statue work from the Ming Dynasty, and luxurious crafts from the Qing Dynasty, this exhibition by Barakat Seoul recreates the traditional splendor of the Emperor’s gardens and collection rooms.

The act of collecting beautiful things and keeping them close at hand for our enjoyment relates to our universal desires as human beings. China was by no means an exception to this culture of collection and appreciation. Rulers from the different dynasties that governed mainland China brought nature into the palace through back gardens decorated with ponds, oddly-shaped rocks, and exotic plants, placing elegant decorations alongside them to bask in the harmonious aesthetic. In addition to this, curio cabinets called duobaoge (多寶格) for precious treasures were kept in the Qing imperial household, giving visual embodiment to the collector’s eye for beauty. The artworks of different forms placed in their multiple compartments entranced viewers with their diversity in era and genre and endlessly transforming landscapes. In short, the outdoor gardens and indoor duobaoge are the products of the desire to create, control, and possess beauty, achieving synthesis in different ways. Rather than being some clumsy form of art supremacism—following the forms of art without regard for human history—this was an effort to enrich daily life by infusing aesthetic and practical in real ways. Adopting this same aesthetic, Masterpieces of Chinese Art in The Barakat Collection invites the visitor inside the garden where Water-Moon Guanyin (水月 觀音) rested and the golden collection rooms in which storied works of art were placed.

This exhibition will open in two parts, with the The Garden of Guanyin (觀音之園) delineating its first part, followed by the second part of the exhibition which reinterprets the collection room of the emperor. Just as Marco Polo (1254–1324) wrote his Book of the Marvels of the World after being enchanted by Eastern culture, we look forward to another fantastic travelogue on ancient Chinese art emerging from this journey with Barakat Seoul. More information about the exhibition can be found on the Barakat Seoul website (www.barakat.kr). Please direct all questions to (02-730-1949).

Barakat Seoul
Seoul, 58-4, Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu
March 18th 2020 – June 30th 2020