SAA Reception. Lecture by Deputy Director Pedro Moura Carvalho, Ph.D

Spoke with Deputy Director Pedro Moura Carvalho, at the reception prior to the business meeting held by Linda Lei, President.  

Wine and a light buffet was served in the museum.  The Deputy Director spoke about "What is a masterpiece in Asian Art?"    He presented common examples in Western Art, and queried as to what would be the criteria for the counterpart.   This lecture was a postscript to the series of lectures for docent training in the Spring, which foccussed on iconic objects in the Asian Art Museum, discussed, for the most part by AAM curators, with some guest curators in the program.   Quality, craftsmanship, aesthetic principles and patronage all are factors, of course.  As in the West, what is contained in a museum is a donor contribution and has been filtered through collectors and dealers.   I don't have more to say about this right now.  The Deputy director adopted an entertaining style using cartoons and light hearted material to mediate the burden of this judgement by museums standards. 

Marsha Vargas owner of Xandu Gallery(the Frank Lloyd Wright building) is closing in June.  She sat next to me, and we shared a glass of wine, and listening to the lecture, but I had to run, afterwards.   The meeting was more lightly attended than in years past.  The Board stays the same.  My suggestion for the evening to the Board of Directors  is that they cultivate a junior circle; I have also suggested this to membership and they indicate they are working on it. They tend to be "excluding" rather than "including" membership, with their Jade Circle, but the museum needs money, so their donations are really crucial.  

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