Tuesday, February 02, 2010

Batak textiles at SF Arts of the Pacific Asia Show

Yesterday evening, just as the sun was glowing red on the San Francisco horizon, Thomas Murray, the well-known collector and dealer of Asian art, and I arrived at the Festival Pavilion of Fort Mason. Tom had wanted to give me a sense of the place and where I would be situated when I sell Legacy in cloth at the Arts of Pacific Asia Fair this coming weekend.

We had spent the entire day, and the day before, reviewing his Batak textile collection. To my great joy, Tom agreed to make his textiles available for the exhibit that the fair organizers are developing for my book. It is a thrill for me to have one of the best collections in the world of Batak textiles accompany me at this event. (See photo gallery of Legacy being promoted against a background of Tom's collection.)

Tom and I agree that Batak textiles have not yet received the attention that they clearly deserve. The subtle, quiet beauty of the old pieces require contemplative appreciation of their detail. We are hopeful that when Legacy in cloth is displayed -- as it will be -- at the entrance of the fair where every single visitor will see it, and when a great number of the textile categories described within the book are illustrated -- as they will be -- with top-quality examples from Tom's collection, Batak textiles will make their entry on the radar of aficionados of Asian art. (See photo gallery of Legacy being promoted against a background of Tom's collection.)

Batak textiles from the collection of Thomas Murray hanging at the Arts of Pacific Asia in San Francisco, Feb 2010 - photo Sandra Niessen.

No comments:

Post a Comment