Exhibition
Chinese Galleries
About
Rediscover four thousand years of the art of China in our Chinese galleries. Go deeper into the stories behind the objects, grouped thematically in four eye-opening sections: Belief in the Afterlife, Nature and Self-Cultivation, Exchanges with the West, and Order in the Imperial Court.
The new installation features recently conserved works, improved lighting, and a wide variety of objects, including a stunning collection of costumes and textiles, photographs, and contemporary art on view together for the first time.
Blue-and-White Porcelain Plates by Ai Weiwei
In gallery 335, a series of plates by contemporary Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei comments on the forced migration of millions of people during the recent global refugee crisis. The artist can relate to feelings of displacement—the artist and his family were exiled to western China during the Cultural Revolution of 1966–76.
Image Gallery
Curators
Hiromi Kinoshita, The Hannah L. and J. Welles Henderson Curator of Chinese Art
Sponsors
The reinstallation of the museum’s galleries of Chinese Art was made possible by E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Hannah L. Henderson, Marguerite Lenfest, Maxine de S. Lewis, June and Simon K.C. Li, Joan F. Thalheimer, Andrea Baldeck, M.D., Sueyun and Gene Locks, Peter A. Benoliel and Willo Carey, Barbara B. and Theodore R. Aronson, The Women’s Committee of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Cynthia L. Johnson, Frank S. Bayley, Suzanne F. Boda and George W. Grindahl, Dr. Alan M. and Deena Gu Laties, Peggy Wachs, two anonymous donors, and other generous donors.