Monkeys & Mountains: Landscapes of Asia

The Newark Museum is celebrating the year of the monkey with this special gallery rotation installation showcasing images of monkeys—in Japanese, Indian and Tibetan art.

Spectacular Hokusai and Hiroshige prints of Mt. Fuji are sure to dazzle the eyes. Stately Tibetan paintings and sculptures reveal the specificity of Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan plateau. Chinese Buddhist and Taoist landscapes of blue-green mountains (where the immortals dwell) complement intimate Indian manuscript paintings of musical modes (called Raga), episodes of the Ramayana epic (starring the magical monkey Hanuman), and Jain renunciants (like Rishibhadra). Majestic bamboo paintings by Kim Jin Woo and Watanabe Kiyoshi reveal Korean and Japanese abstracted landscapes. Scenic vistas and particular cultural views of real and ideal landscapes of Asia.

This installation is part of the Museum’s ongoing conservation efforts which require the rotation of fragile objects within its galleries. Works within Monkeys & Mountains can be found throughout the Asian galleries – Japan, Korea, Tibet and China – and can be identified by a unique text label.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website