Asia Week New York and Noted Author Becky MacGuire Zoom-In on Four Centuries of Blue & White, Wednesday, September 11, 2024

New York: Asia Week New York is delighted to present its Fall webinar: Four Centuries of Blue & White, with the noted decorative arts expert Becky MacGuire author of Four Centuries of Blue & White: The Frelinghuysen Collection of Chinese & Japanese Export Porcelain. Ms. MacGuire will delve into the evolving commercial and cultural exchanges between East and West, with a particular focus on the collection’s rare, unusual and little-studied material. Lark Mason will moderate the discussion which will be held on Wednesday, September 11 at 5:00 p.m. EST. To register for the webinar, click: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xYZrTBmBSvu8anXgd-p3jQ

The extraordinary Frelinghuysen collection, assembled carefully over 50 years, features an exceptionally wide array of Asian blue and white export porcelain—that most ubiquitous and influential of all ceramics. Ranging from rarities made at the height of the Ming dynasty, when Europeans first sailed to Asia, to commissions executed for the Thai royal court in the last decades of the Qing dynasty, the collection goes beyond iconic export classics to include pieces made for markets from Japan to the Islamic world. An intriguing counterpoint is provided by a full complement of Japanese export. 

About the Panelists:

Becky MacGuire was the longtime senior specialist in Chinese export art at Christie’s and director of the firm’s New York Exceptional Sale. After graduating from the University of California at Berkeley with honors in art history, Ms. MacGuire completed the program of the Study Centre for the Fine and Decorative Arts at the Victoria and Albert Museum. A frequent lecturer, she was an original appraiser on “The Antiques Roadshow” and a founding partner of The Chinese Porcelain Company. Ms. MacGuire is the author of Four Centuries of Blue & White: The Frelinghuysen Collection of Chinese & Japanese Export Porcelain, published by Paul Holberton Books (October 2023).

Lark Mason, founder and CEO of iGavel Auctions, is renowned for his regular appearances on “The Antiques Roadshow” and his expertise in Chinese art. He established Lark Mason Associates, an auction house with locations in New Braunfels, Texas, and New York City, specializing in Asian, ethnographic, and ancient works of art. The firm has a strong track record of record-breaking sales, including the highest price achieved for any work of art in an online sale, a painting that sold for nearly $4.2 million in May 2014. Mason’s career includes serving as a General Appraiser from 1979 to 1985, and as a Senior Vice President and specialist in Chinese art at Sotheby’s from 1985 to 2003, where he also directed online auctions for Sothebys.com from 2000 to 2003. Additionally, he was a consulting curator at the Trammell and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas from 2003 to 2009. A generalist in American and European works of art and paintings, Mason is also a leading expert in Chinese art, advising numerous private collectors and institutions. He is a member of the Asia Week New York Planning Committee.

About Asia Week New York 

The collaboration of top-tier international Asian art galleries, the major auction houses-Bonhams, Christie’s, Doyle, Freedman’s|Hindman, Heritage Auctions, iGavel, and Sotheby’s–and numerous museums and Asian cultural institutions, Asia Week New York is a week-long celebration filled with simultaneous gallery open houses, Asian art auctions as well as numerous museum exhibitions, lectures, and special events. Participants from the United States and countries abroad unveil an extraordinary selection of museum-quality treasures from China, India, the Himalayas, Southeast Asia, Tibet, Nepal, Japan, and Korea. 

Asia Week New York Association, Inc. is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade membership organization registered with the state of New York. For more information visit www.AsiaWeekNewYork.com @asiaweekny #asiaweekny 

About Songtsam, Presenting Sponsor

Songtsam (“Paradise”) is an award-winning luxury collection of sixteen hotels, resorts, and tours located in Tibet and Yunnan Provinces, China. Founded in 2000 by Mr. Baima Duoji, a former Tibetan documentary filmmaker, Songtsam is the only collection of luxury Tibetan-style retreats within the wellness space focusing on the concept of Tibetan meditation by combining physical and spiritual healing together. The unique and sustainable properties offer guests authenticity, within the context of refined design, modern amenities, and unobtrusive service in places of untouched natural beauty and cultural interest. One of the Songtsam Properties is a Virtuoso Preferred Partner and four of the Songtsam Properties are Serandipians Hotel Partners. Songstam welcomes all travelers including families with children, travelers with disabilities and is LGBTQ+ friendly. For information, visit: www.songtsam.com/en