Elegant Perfection: Masterpieces of Courtly and Religious Art from the Tokyo National Museum in Houston Feb 19, 2012 12:00 AM

Venue: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston Address: 1001 Bissonnet Houston 77005 Phone: 713-639-7300 Start Date: February 19, 2012 End Date: April 8, 2012 Cost: Adults: $$10 Children: $$5; Child 5 & under: FREE Seniors: $$5

"Elegant Perfection" will be timed with the opening of the new Arts of Japan Gallery in February 2012. Featuring 26 objects, including several National Treasures, from the prestigious Tokyo National Museum’s permanent collection, this exhibition will cover essential themes and traditions in Japanese art and culture, illuminating the relationship between the rise of Buddhism in Japan and the development of a highly refined court culture. Among the works on loan are a number of rare pieces designated National Treasures, Important Cultural Properties and Important Art Objects, including a rare 11th-century edition of the Manyoshu (one of the oldest existing compilations of Japanese poetry, first dating from around 759 AD); a sumptuous indigo paper scroll depicting the Daito Saiiki Ki; calligraphy by the 16-17th-century Emperor Goyozei; and such masterworks of Japanese Buddhist art as an 11th-century Heian period seated sculpture of Dainichi Nyorai and a 14th-century painting depicting the Buddha’s departure from this world. Other loaned objects will be shown for two years alongside the MFAH permanent collection, including Neolithic objects, bronze Buddhist ritual implements, lacquer musical instruments and a wide array of fine ceramics. The exhibition and gallery are overseen by Christine Starkman, MFAH Curator of Ancient to Contemporary Asian Art.