Rare Asian Art Treasures From the Rockefeller Collection to be Showcased in Fort Worth

A collection of some the finest examples of Asian art in the United States is arriving in Fort Worth this summer. It all provides a rare glimpse into the vision of two true connoisseurs ― Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III.

Buddha, Shiva, Lotus, Dragon: The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III Collection at Asia Society is organized by Jennifer Casler Price, curator of Asian, African and Ancient American art at the Kimbell Art Museum. The magnificent collection will be on exhibit at the Kimbell Art Museum from June 27 through September 5.

This exhibition will showcase the extraordinary range of bronzes, ceramics and metalwork that John D. Rockefeller III (1906 to 1978) and his wife Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller (1909 to 1992) thoughtfully assembled between the 1940s and the 1970s.

Kimbell Museum director Eric M. Lee notes that this is the first time the Kimbell’s held an in-person preview for a new exhibit in more than a year.

“The superb caliber of this exhibition cannot be overstated,” Lee says. “This is the collection’s first United States tour in over 20 years.”

The selection of masterpieces, includes some of the finest examples drawn from Asia Society’s permanent collection, which serves as the regular home of the pieces in New York City.

Kimbell curator Jennifer Casler Price notes that the Rockefellers engaged Sherman E. Lee to serve as an art advisor on their acquisitions. The focus was strictly on quality over quantity. When Sherman E. Lee and John D. Rockefeller III disagreed on whether an acquisition was worthy or not, they settled it with a gentlemanly coin flip.

On view at the Kimbell, you’ll find 67 pieces from the Rockefellers’ foundational gift to the Asia Society Museum. Chinese porcelain vases, dynamic Indian Chola bronzes and exquisite Southeast Asian sculptures are highlights of the exhibition. It’s a chance to romp through more than two millennia of Asian artistic achievements.

The exhibit begins with what Price calls Buddhism 101 ― 23 pieces about the Buddha and his representation across cultures. It ends with a suite of five stunning bronzes.

“John D. Rockefeller III grew up in a world that was filled with Asian art,” Price says. “His father was particularly enamored of Chinese porcelains, while his mother crafted an Asian garden and filled it with art.

“This is the environment that he grew up in.

“After World War II, he became very involved in international politics and was part of crafting the peace treaty between America and Japan. He also formed the Council for Cultural Exchange.”

The Rockefellers loved Japan. They even lived there for a time. Still, the scope of their collection encompasses artworks from China, India, Cambodia, Korea, Tibet and Vietnam as well, illuminating social and artistic histories across Asia.

“They wanted to share that cultural heritage with as many people as possible, feeling that art could bridge the gap between cultures,” Price says.

In addition to investigating the religious and cultural themes of Buddhist sculpture, Hindu sculpture and the evolution of ceramics and metalwork, the new Kimbell show also examines the Rockefellers’ connoisseurship — and their collecting and exhibition practices.

A fully illustrated catalogue written by Adriana Proser, the Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Quincy Scott curator of Asian art at the Walters Art Museum and the former John H. Foster curator for traditional Asian art at Asia Society Museum, will accompany the exhibition. The catalogue is available for $50 in hardcover at the museum shops or online at kimbellart.org.

Tickets to the rare exhibit are available here.