Asian

highly stylized painting of a Chinese woman in a traditional hat.

Hung Liu, Chinese (b. 1948), The Bride (detail), 2001, from the “Unofficial Portraits” series, lithograph and collage, 30 x 30 inches, Purchase from Shark's Ink., CU Art Museum, University of Colorado Boulder, Gift of funds from Polly and Mark Addison to the Polly and Mark Addison Collection, CU Art Museum, University of Colorado Boulder, 2003.30, © Hung Liu

a sliver box with lid lifted and circular pieces removed and sitting beside the box.

Unidentified artist, Chinese, Tea Caddy, 1840, Urushi (lacquered) wood, ivory, brass, and tin, 5 ½ x 8 x 5 inches, Gift of Kenneth and Ruth Yearns, CU Art Museum, University of Colorado Boulder, 91.09.04a-h, Photo: Jeff Wells, © CU Art Museum, University of Colorado Boulder

ancient ceramic bowl with brown and green glazing

Unidentified artist, Tang Dynasty, Bowl, 7th – 10th c. CE, earthenware and glaze, 6 x 9 dia. inches, Gift of Warren and Shirley King, CU Art Museum, University of Colorado Boulder, 2012.12.27, Photo: Jeff Wells, © CU Art Museum, University of Colorado Boulder

We have a rich array of Asian art in our collection, including ancient Iranian pottery from the early first millennium BCE and an assortment of Southeast Asian pottery with works by the ancient Ban Chiang culture and 16th–19th century Khmer and Vietnamese ceramics. Fine examples of 19th-century Japanese Ukiyo-e prints by masters of the tradition such as Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi feature famous kabuki actors and depict cultural traditions and Japanese landscapes, both urban and rural. Chinese art, from ancient to contemporary, is well represented. Highlights include a Buddhist stone sculpture from the 5th–6th century CE and contemporary works by noted artist Zhang Xiaogang, whose works explore Chinese identity in the modern era.

Our Asian collection was greatly enhanced by a gift from Warren and Shirley King in 2012. The gift of 200 objects, now called the King Collection, contains Asian vessels dating as far back as Neolithic China and Burma. This gift enriches the museum’s sizable collection of ancient works and provides many opportunities for cross-cultural study within the ancient world.