Major New Bronze Exhibit Opens At The Met To 'Recast The Past'

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Bronze vessels were emblems of power and ritual in ancient China, and from the 1100s-1900s, the art form was revisited by artists and imitated with more modern perspectives.

However, these later Chinese bronzes have long been looked down on as simple imitations of ancient works as opposed to a fundamentally new creative form with a distinct aesthetic and function.

But, The Met hopes to correct this narrative for good with a new exhibition.

This Friday, "Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900" opens at The Met, in collaboration with the Shanghai Museum, as the most comprehensive exhibition of Chinese bronze art created during this period of renewal, with more than 200 pieces spanning the centuries.

"While bronze as an art form has long held a significant role throughout China’s history, this exhibition explores an often-overlooked time period when a resurgence of craftsmanship and artistic achievements revitalized the medium,” Max Hollein, The Met’s director and CEO, said.

The captivating exhibit explores the cultural and political significance of bronze vessels throughout history, complemented by paintings, ceramics, jades, and other media.

Around 100 pieces in the exhibit are from the Met's collections, and 60 pieces are on loan from various institutions in China, including a monumental 12th-century bell from the Liaoning Provincial Museum, and luxury vessels made in the 18th-century imperial workshop from the Palace Museum in Beijing.

The other pieces come from collections all over the world, including Japan, Korea, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

“Bringing together major loans from institutions in China alongside works from The Met collection, this exhibition offers viewers an important opportunity to better understand the lasting aesthetic and cultural impact of bronze objects," Hollein said.

The exhibition opened on Feb. 28 and will run until Sept. 28. To learn more about the exhibit, click here.

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