Bronze Cowrie Container with Gilt Warrior and Four Oxen. China; Western Han period (206 BC-AD 8). Excavated at Shizhaishan, Jinning county, Yunnan Province. Collection of the Yunnan Provincial Museum.

As the first comprehensive exhibition ever held in North America of the ancient art and culture of Southwest China, “Barbarian Kingdoms”: Ancient Treasures of South and Southwest China will feature more than 150 splendid works of art from the Bronze Age Kingdom of Dian, near modern Kunming in the Yunnan Province, part of the highest plateau on Earth which joins Tibet in the Northwest and extends eastward to south China. The Kingdom of Dian emerged there as a major power during the 4th century B.C. and flourished for nearly 500 years. This exhibition will showcase objects made of bronze, gold, lacquer, and jade that reveal the superb artistry of the Dian. No other culture anywhere in Southeast Asia provides us with such a detailed picture of their customs, rituals, and beliefs. Through these objects, the exhibition will explore ancient Yunnan’s material culture as well as its spiritual world, and aims to make the complex and intriguing art of ancient China accessible to a broad American audience, and to heighten awareness of the role that Yunnan has played in the cultural history of Asia. In addition to art works from Dian, “Barbarian Kingdoms” will also feature objects from neighboring regions in China and Southeast Asia that show Yunnan’s position in a large network of cultural interaction. Bordering Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar and located toward the southwest of central China, the Yunnan region is an important cultural crossroads with a complex history and geography. “Barbarian Kingdoms” promises to break new art historical ground by giving a comprehensive survey of this dynamic region.

April 3–July 5, 2010. Art Institute of Chicago - 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, USA