The Paper has learned that the "Recasting the Past: The Art of Chinese Bronzes, 1100–1900", jointly organized by the Shanghai Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, officially opened to the public in New York on February 28, local time. The exhibition uses more than 200 works of art to reveal the social outlook and spiritual world of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties in China from a unique perspective, and leads the audience to appreciate the unique charm of bronze art in China during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. The exhibition will be on display in New York until September 28, and will move to the Shanghai Museum in November after the New York exhibition ends.

Exhibition poster

It is reported that the exhibition was prepared by the two museums for three years and is the most comprehensive review of the bronze art of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties to date. Compared with the bronzes of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, the bronzes of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties have long been ignored by the academic community and lack systematic research. The bronzes of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties carried etiquette in important ceremonies and were a high reflection of ancient Chinese material technology and spiritual culture. From the twelfth to the nineteenth century, people turned their attention back to the bronzes of the Shang, Zhou, Qin and Han dynasties, viewing them as symbols of the ancient golden age and actively studying and imitating them. This "retro" trend has spread to all art categories and has far-reaching influence. At this time, the bronzes of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties came into being and gave this classical tradition a new voice.

During the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, although bronze ware had gradually faded out of the mainstream stage of ritual vessels, as works of art, its production became more refined, the themes became more extensive, and the styles became more diverse.

Exhibition View

Exhibition View

This "Melting the Ancient and Casting the New: Special Exhibition of Bronze Ware from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties" selects more than 200 works of art, including Chinese bronze treasures from many institutions in Europe, America, Asia, etc., as well as cultural relics such as calligraphy and painting, porcelain, jade, lacquerware, silk fabrics and furniture of the same period. Through the five major sections of "Reconstructing Ancient Rituals", "Learning from the Ancient and Pleasing the New", "Setting an Example for Innovation", "Bronze in Daily Life" and "Nostalgia for the Past", the exhibition reveals the social outlook and spiritual world of China during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties in chronological order from a unique perspective, leading the audience to appreciate the unique charm of bronze art in China during the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, and jointly explore how bronze wares in this period constantly sought breakthroughs between tradition and innovation and radiated new vitality. Among them, nearly 60 loaned works from China are particularly eye-catching, including the Song Dynasty Royal Lubu Giant Bell from the Liaoning Provincial Museum, the historically documented Confucian Temple ritual vessels of successive dynasties from the Shanghai Museum, and the Qing Palace Workshop Imperial Imitation Bronze Ware from the Palace Museum.

Dasheng "Jiazhong" Bell Collection of Shanghai Museum Exhibits of this exhibition

Kunshan County School Bronze Gui from the 20th Year of Chenghua Collection of Shanghai Museum Exhibits of this exhibition

In addition, the exhibition also brings together relevant exhibits from domestic cultural and museum institutions such as the Capital Museum, Hebei Museum, Qinghai Provincial Museum, Fujian Museum, and Pengzhou Museum of Sichuan Province.

Exhibition View

Exhibition View

On February 27, Luo Wenli, Deputy Director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Shang Jiyuan, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in New York, Max Hollein, Director and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Marina Kellen French in New York, and Chu Xiaobo, Director of the Shanghai Museum, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Exhibition View

Luo Wenli, deputy director of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, said in his speech that in 1980, the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States jointly held the "Great Bronze Age of China" exhibition. Over the past 45 years, exchanges between Chinese and American museums have flourished. This time, the "Melting the Ancient and Casting the New: Bronzes of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties" exhibition once again crossed the Pacific Ocean. It is believed that while appreciating the treasures of Chinese cultural relics, American audiences will also be able to feel the vigorous vitality of China's excellent traditional culture in creative transformation and innovative development. Luo Wenli pointed out that the State Administration of Cultural Heritage of China is willing to further support exchanges between Chinese and American museums and cultural heritage cooperation, and continue to provide a platform and build a bridge for cultural exchanges and people-to-people exchanges between China and the United States.

Max Hollein, director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, presided over the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Chu Xiaobo, director of the Shanghai Museum, mentioned that this exhibition is another milestone in the cooperation between the Shanghai Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, marking a solid step forward for the two world-class cultural institutions in deepening cultural exchanges and expanding the dimensions of cooperation. In the future, the Shanghai Museum will take this cooperation as an opportunity to further promote the deep integration of Chinese culture and the world's diverse cultures through innovative models.

Hu Guangyu Bronze Incense Burner with Floral Pattern Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) Collection of Shanghai Museum Exhibits in this exhibition

Gilded Bronze Sacrifice Cup Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) Collection of Shanghai Museum Exhibits in this exhibition

Portrait of Ni Zan, Ming Dynasty, Qiu Ying, Shanghai Museum Collection, Exhibition

This exhibition is also the first time that the Shanghai Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have jointly organized an exhibition 40 years after the "Great Bronze Age of China" was exhibited in the United States.

After its closing on September 28, 2025, the exhibition will be re-planned by the Shanghai Museum and will be shown again in the East Hall of the Shanghai Museum under the title "The Same Style as Three Generations: Retro and Innovation of Bronzes from the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties". The exhibition will run from November 12, 2025 to March 16, 2026.