The stained glass collections of the Musée Ariana are coming out of storage! When the museum was bequeathed to the City of Geneva in 1890, Gustave Revilliod had acquired 118 stained glass pieces. Today, the museum boasts over 400 pieces, spanning from the 12th to the 21st century. The fifth installment of the “The Ariana Unveils Its Reserves” series showcases an exceptional selection of this heritage.
The Chinese Women exhibition explores various aspects of women’s lives in Chinese culture through a selection of works highlighting their condition and the tensions associated with it. It begins by examining the traditional representation of women in art, from the funerary sculptures of the Tang dynasty to portraits of mature wives from the Qing dynasty. The exhibition also looks at the idealized image of the Chinese woman in Europe, spread through export porcelain and chinoiseries by artists like Watteau and Boucher. It further addresses themes such as marriage, female ornaments, foot binding, and protective female deities, concluding with the stories of Chinese women artists, from Dong Xiaowan to Peng Wei. The exhibition includes contributions from the Musée Ariana, the Museum of Art and History, the Ethnography Museum of Geneva, and the Rietberg Museum of Zurich.
