A selection of 72 stunning artworks drawn from the collections of the Asian Art Museum and SFMOMA, Gorgeous challenges visitors to confront the extremes and the ambiguities of beauty. This special exhibition features an extraordinary mix of objects, spanning more than 2,200 years and dozens of cultures to bring together artworks that, in a variety of ways, extend beyond conventional notions of the beautiful. Highlights include paintings, sculptures, photographs, and design objects from SFMOMA's holdings by Bruce Conner, Dan Flavin, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Yves Klein, Jeff Koons, Marilyn Minter, Meret Oppenheim, and others. From the Asian Art Museum are works spanning the extent of Asia, including a 1,000-year-old Indian sculpture of the Hindu deity Durga victorious over the buffalo demon; a gilded and jeweled Burmese Buddhist bowl; a Korean textile artwork with complex geometric designs; a decorated Qur'an from 16th-century Persia; "Three types of beauties in Edo," a set of silk scrolls by the artist Chobunsai Eishi (1756-1829); and the gold-surfaced ink paintings "Summer gatherings in mountain villas" by Hua Yan (1682-1756), along with other works in a variety of mediums.

Asian Art Museum

200 Larkin Street
San Francisco (CA) 94102 United States
Tel. +1 (415) 5813500
www.asianart.org

Opening hours

Tuesday -�� Sunday
From 10am to 5pm

Related images
  1. Mythical bird-man, approx. 1775–1850. Central Thailand. Wood with remnants of lacquer, gilding, and mirrored glass inlay. Courtesy of Asian Art Museum, Gift from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Southeast Asian Art Collection, 2006.27.24.
  2. Three types of beauties in Edo, approx. 1798–1829, by Chobunsai Eishi (Japanese, 1756–1829). Set of three hanging scrolls; ink and colors on silk. Courtesy of Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B60D80.
  3. Meret Oppenheim, Miss Gardenia, 1962; plaster in metal frame with metallic paint; 10 5/8 x 6 1/2 x 4 1/4 in. (26.99 x 16.51 x 10.8 cm); Collection SFMOMA, Helen Crocker Russell Memorial Fund purchase; © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ProLitteris, Zürich, photo: Ben Blackwell
  4. Torso of a female deity, 1400–1600. Southern India. Stone. Courtesy of Asian Art Museum, The Avery Brundage Collection, B63S3+.
  5. Marilyn Minter, Strut, 2004–05; enamel on metal; 96 x 60 in. (243.84 x 152.4 cm); Collection SFMOMA, Accessions Committee Fund purchase: gift of Johanna and Thomas Baruch, Charles J. Betlach II, Shawn and Brook Byers, Nancy and Steven Oliver, and Prentice and Paul Sack; © Marilyn Minter
  6. Elephant seat (howdah), approx. 1870–1920. India; Chhattisgarh state; former princely state of Surguja. Partially gilded and painted silver over wood, with velvet and wicker. Courtesy of Asian Art Museum, Acquisition made possible by Nancy B. Hamon in honor of Johnson S. Bogart, 2001.12.a-.c.