Asia Week New York 2014 – March 14 – March 22 2014

Today marks the 1st day of Asia Week New York 2014, which runs through March 22nd. The event is open and free to the public. The exhibits reveals the rarest and finest Asian examples of ceramics, jewelry, textiles, paintings, sculpture, bronzes, prints, photographs and jades, representing artistry, ingenuity and imagination from every corner and time period of Asia.

The exhibitors include a top-tier roster of 47 international Asian art specialists-the largest number to date- and five major auction houses as well as 19 world-renowned museums and Asian cultural institutions. Visit www.asiaweeknewyork.com for more information.

I had a chance to join the press preview for Asia Week this past Wednesday. It was a full day affair, where we flew through 30 galleries in less 10 hours. I had an unforgettable time viewing some spectacular pieces with fascinating stories. The galleries did an excellent job of explaining their finest pieces. It was certainly a feast for the eyes, mind, and soul. Here are some highlights.

This year, Scholten Japanese Art Gallery‘s exhibit is titled “Erotic Art of Japan: Everybody’s Doing It”.
Katherine Martin, the gallery manager explained that Japanese paintings, especially erotic Japanese paintings are undervalued, The pieces are estimated at $15,000 – $18,000. However if there weren’t any “naughty bits”, they would probably be valued 3 times as much.

Ralph M. Chait Gallery had a beautiful collection of scholar’s rocks.