Organized by MIHO MUSEUM and The Kyoto Shimbun Newspaper, Co., Ltd.
Supported by US Consulate General Osaka, Shiga Prefecture,
Shiga Prefectural Board of Education,
Biwako Broadcasting Co., Ltd., and FM-Kyoto, Inc.
With the cooperation of Japan Airlines
Supported by US Consulate General Osaka, Shiga Prefecture,
Shiga Prefectural Board of Education,
Biwako Broadcasting Co., Ltd., and FM-Kyoto, Inc.
With the cooperation of Japan Airlines
The German-American art aficionado Dr. John C. Weber (born 1938) has
not only taught anatomy and medical image processing at Cornell
University’s Medical College for many years, he is also a triathlete
and sports lover. At age sixty-five, he began running marathons and,
from there, challenged himself to triathlons. To date, he has
participated in over 150 competitions, including half marathons. Not
only has Dr. Weber won numerous championships, he is also an Ironman
record holder. In May, he won in a competition in Hawaii and will be
coming to Japan for this exhibition, right before another
competition in Kona, Hawaii in October. Dr. Weber explains, “I make
a plan and am strict with myself. Just as I did with the Ironman, it
is the same with collecting art. This is the way I live.” He also
possessed a sharp, discerning eye when he taught at
university. Although he had not been collecting for long, he had
become friends with Mary Burke, who had been amassing a collection
of Japanese art
Dr. Weber coming into the finish line (Ironman International Triathlon
in Kona, Hawaii in October 2013)
image © finisherpix
image © finisherpix
since the 1960s, and had admired her high standards. Even now, Dr. Weber aims for the
best in whatever he does in life and passionately continues to
collect a wide range of artworks, which can be largely divided into
Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Byzantine arts.
The current exhibition present over 160 carefully selected works from the Weber collection starting with a wide-range of Japanese art, including Muromachi ink paintings, ukiyo-e and other Edo-period works as well as Meiji-period paintings, ancient Jōmon to early modern ceramics, negoro and lacquerware with makie (sprinkled design), and early modern kimono and textiles. Also on exhibit are Chinese art—including ancient bronzes, Tang-dynasty sancai (three-color ceramicware), and figurines—and Byzantine art that have already been gifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rembrandt’s etchings, which were part of the early collection, will also be on display. This special exhibition, which was realized in part due to the Weber’s friendship with our museum director Professor Tsuji Nobuo, is the first time that works that were already donated to the Metropolitan Museum are being exhibited and the first time for the Weber collection to be shown in Japan. We hope that museum visitors will enjoy the world of art that mesmerized this New Yorker.
The current exhibition present over 160 carefully selected works from the Weber collection starting with a wide-range of Japanese art, including Muromachi ink paintings, ukiyo-e and other Edo-period works as well as Meiji-period paintings, ancient Jōmon to early modern ceramics, negoro and lacquerware with makie (sprinkled design), and early modern kimono and textiles. Also on exhibit are Chinese art—including ancient bronzes, Tang-dynasty sancai (three-color ceramicware), and figurines—and Byzantine art that have already been gifted to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rembrandt’s etchings, which were part of the early collection, will also be on display. This special exhibition, which was realized in part due to the Weber’s friendship with our museum director Professor Tsuji Nobuo, is the first time that works that were already donated to the Metropolitan Museum are being exhibited and the first time for the Weber collection to be shown in Japan. We hope that museum visitors will enjoy the world of art that mesmerized this New Yorker.
Two-panel screen
The Deep Waters of Jindai
at Lake Towadako By Kawase Hasui
(1883–1957)
The Deep Waters of Jindai
at Lake Towadako By Kawase Hasui
(1883–1957)
Circa 1920
image © John Bigelow Taylor
image © John Bigelow Taylor
