CHARLOTTE ó The cross-cultural connections between Asia and the West are vividly displayed in the extraordinary exhibition, “Made in China: Export Porcelain from the Leo and Doris Hodroff Collection at Winterthur,” which chronicles the history of Chinese export porcelain from 1550 to 1850.
The exhibition opens Saturday and runs through April 20 at the Mint Museum of Art.
To celebrate this beautiful exhibition, the Mint Museum of Art will offer free admission to the public on Thursday, Feb. 7, the first day of the Chinese New Year.
“Made in China” showcases about 150 superbly crafted plates, tureens, vases, sculptures and other wares from the Leo and Doris Hodroff Collection of Chinese export porcelain at the Winterthur Museum in Delaware.
The exhibition will explain why porcelain, with its fine white body, delicately painted decoration, and association with the exotic lands of Asia, has long delighted and captivated Europeans and Americans.
“This exhibition is a perfect complement to the Mint’s own ceramics collection,” says Brian Gallagher, the Mint’s curator of decorative arts. “There are so many examples in our own holdings of European and American ceramics that were clearly influenced by Chinese prototypes. Visitors will be able to see wonderful examples of the types of objects that inspired Western craftsmen and designers.”
Children and families will especially enjoy the exhibition’s unique interactive activities, which allow users to design their own Chinese export porcelain dinner plate and learn the differences between porcelain and other types of ceramics.
“Made in China” was organized by Winterthur, An American Country Estate, through the generous support of Leo and Doris Hodroff.
A hard-cover 200-page catalogue of the exhibition is available in the museum shops for $50.
For more information about this exhibit, call the museum at 704-337-2000 or visit www.mintmuseums. org.