Through October 22, 2017

Indianapolis Museum of Art, 4000 Michigan Road, Indianapolis, IN

For information, call 317.923.1331 or visit www.imamuseum.org


Elegance from the East: New Insights from Old Porcelain explores the popularity and variety of Chinese porcelain objects made for export to Western consumers in the 17th and 18th centuries. Chinese artists customized their traditional forms and decoration for European and American commercial tastes, and this exhibition reveals the effects of these efforts to translate consumer demand from half a world away.


An additional component of this exhibition is scientific research from guest curator Shirley M. Mueller, who connects the past with the present using neuropsychological research. “The motives and emotions of manufacturers and purchasers of the past are the same as ours today: pleasure, profit, pain, and miscommunication,” says Mueller, who adds insight into each section by connecting relevant information. She adds, “The difference today is that we know which part(s) of the brain are being activated through various emotions. As viewers understand their own brain function they can appreciate historical objects better.”