Museen in Köln - Museum of East Asian Art

Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst (Museum of East Asian Art)

Art from China, Japan and Korea - the first Museum of East Asian Art in Europe was founded in Cologne in 1909. The founders of the museum contributed outstanding works of Buddhist painting and wooden sculpture, Japanese standing screen painting, colour woodcuts and lacquer art as well as Chinese and Korean ceramics to the original permanent collection. A further focus of the Cologne museum are Chinese cultic bronzes, Chinese painting and calligraphy. The new museum building opened on the Aachener Weiher in 1977 is architecturally also of international rank.

Leisure and entertainment in Japan
17. Juli – 24. Oktober 2010

The Japanese word for “playing“ is “asobi“ and has various different meanings. It refers to children’s games, but also cultural activities and competitions of all kinds. Many board games such as Go, Shôgi and Sugoroku were introduced from China and have been hugely popular in Japan to the present day. Since the Edo period (1603-1868), journeys to important Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines have been popular. People went on excursions to famous places or to see picturesque landscapes (meisho) which were depicted on screens, in woodcuts and as lacquer works. The exhibits illustrate the multi-facetted leisure and travel culture in Japan.

Here you can book an individual guided tour.

preview

Brush perfect – Chinese painting 1300-1900
16. Oktober 2010 – 20. Februar 2011

This exhibition presents Chinese painting by professional painters. These either worked on commission for the imperial court in the workshops of the imperial academy, or had studios in urban centres where they executed works on commission for rich merchants and affluent patrons. Unlike scholars and civil servants, who took up painting and calligraphy as amateurs and regarded it as a diverting pastime, the professional painters attached great importance to technical perfection. Their striving for the highest of standards is reflected in their brilliant command of brush techniques, their atmospheric use of colour and their choice of pleasing sujets that were in line with their clients’ demands for prestigious works of art. The naturalistic depiction of flowers and birds with a symbolical connotation were very popular, as were decorative, paradisiacal landscapes. The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue will present 30 works comprising the different genres of professional painting in China from the 13th to the 19th century. The exhibits include landscape and figural painting, depictions of flowers and birds, and portrait painting. A large proportion of the works are part of the museum’s old collection contributed by the founders of the museum – Adolf Fischer (1856-1914) and Frieda Fischer (1874-1946). After thorough restoration work at the Shanghai Museum, these treasures will now be presented to the general public for the first time. The MOK would like to thank the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, the City of Cologne and the Friends of the Museum who have made the restoration possible. This addition to the museum’s Chinese collection will greatly enhance its profile.

Here you can book an individual guided tour.

Leisure and entertainment in Japan
17. Juli – 24. Oktober 2010

The Japanese word for “playing“ is “asobi“ and has various different meanings. It refers to children’s games, but also cultural activities and competitions of all kinds. Many board games such as Go, Shôgi and Sugoroku were introduced from China and have been hugely popular in Japan to the present day. Since the Edo period (1603-1868), journeys to important Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines have been popular. People went on excursions to famous places or to see picturesque landscapes (meisho) which were depicted on screens, in woodcuts and as lacquer works. The exhibits illustrate the multi-facetted leisure and travel culture in Japan.

Here you can book an individual guided tour.

preview

Brush perfect – Chinese painting 1300-1900
16. Oktober 2010 – 20. Februar 2011

This exhibition presents Chinese painting by professional painters. These either worked on commission for the imperial court in the workshops of the imperial academy, or had studios in urban centres where they executed works on commission for rich merchants and affluent patrons. Unlike scholars and civil servants, who took up painting and calligraphy as amateurs and regarded it as a diverting pastime, the professional painters attached great importance to technical perfection. Their striving for the highest of standards is reflected in their brilliant command of brush techniques, their atmospheric use of colour and their choice of pleasing sujets that were in line with their clients’ demands for prestigious works of art. The naturalistic depiction of flowers and birds with a symbolical connotation were very popular, as were decorative, paradisiacal landscapes. The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue will present 30 works comprising the different genres of professional painting in China from the 13th to the 19th century. The exhibits include landscape and figural painting, depictions of flowers and birds, and portrait painting. A large proportion of the works are part of the museum’s old collection contributed by the founders of the museum – Adolf Fischer (1856-1914) and Frieda Fischer (1874-1946). After thorough restoration work at the Shanghai Museum, these treasures will now be presented to the general public for the first time. The MOK would like to thank the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, the City of Cologne and the Friends of the Museum who have made the restoration possible. This addition to the museum’s Chinese collection will greatly enhance its profile.

Here you can book an individual guided tour.