The Six Dynasties (220–589 CE) was a significant and transformative era in Chinese art history despite three centuries of turmoil. In recent decades, archaeological excavations have yielded extraordinary works of art from the Six Dynasties period. They have prompted a reconsideration of the impact of this era on the full sweep of Chinese art history. This exhibition and its accompanying catalogue highlight works selected from the collections of the Nanjing Museum, the Nanjing Municipal Museum, and the Shanxi Museum. It brings together under one roof objects from both southern and northern China in a broader examination of this period’s artistic achievements through the major mediums of celadon ceramics, sculpture, calligraphy, and painting to reveal the cultural life of the Six Dynasties.
The Lead Sponsors of Art in a Time of Chaos, its catalogue, and related public programs are the Henry Luce Foundation and Liu Dan. Additional support was provided by Confucius Institute at China Institute; E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation; Jeong Ok and William Carey; New York Council for the Humanities; members of China Institute’s Friends of the Gallery; and other individual donors. Accommodation support was provided by the Holiday Inn Financial District.
