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Created by local artist Laura Loe, this ink on paper, woodblock print is part of Li’s personal art collection. “I was drawn to it because it looks like my own kitchen,” Li says. (Photo by Justin Chesney)
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This 19th-century Japanese six-panel folding screen depicts deer strolling amid a seasonal landscape. “Deer are believed to be sacred messengers to Buddhist and Shinto deities,” Li says. (Photo courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
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Carved with iron tools in 475-256 B.C., this Chinese green jade disk is decorated with four mythological beasts believed to ward away evil spirits. “It was donated by the Maxwells, who collected Asian jade pieces,” Li says. (Photo courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
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This 18th-century Korean lacquer-on-wood container features mother-of-pearl inlay depicting floral and pearl motifs. At the height of Korea’s lacquer production, elegant containers for clothing, tableware and stationery were regularly produced. (Photo courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
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This Korean piece from the fifth-sixth century is a fragment of a full mounted terra cotta cavalryman, Li says. “It’s very rare. We see many ceramic pieces from this period, but few are earthenware like this.” (Photo courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
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This Japanese red lacquer armed chair from the Edo period was most likely used by a Buddhist high priest, Li says. It was donated to the Daigoji Temple in Kyoto in 1789. (Photo courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
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From the Chinese Qing dynasty, this hanging scroll features an ink and color painting that was remounted from a folding fan. “This object is very representative of the 'Forbidden City' exhibit,” Li says. (Photo courtesy Virginia Museum of Fine Arts)
When visitors stroll through the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ East Asian collection, they are surrounded by more than 4,500 years of visual history. They can thank Li Jian, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter curator of East Asian Art at VMFA, for leading the reinstallation of the galleries in 2012.
“The renovation and reinstallation of the East Asian galleries is one of my favorite projects in my career,” Li says. “We worked closely as a team of designers, educators and curators to broaden the gallery to include Chinese, Japanese and Korean works, ranging from tiny jade objects to large monuments and sculptures. Our goal was to share our incredible collection with the public.”
A native of Beijing, Li has a long-standing passion for connecting communities through art and history. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in English and management, she came to the United States to pursue museum studies at the University of Minnesota. Unfortunately, the program had been discontinued, so she majored in art history with a focus on East Asian art instead.
After graduating, she worked for the Indianapolis Museum of Art before moving to Ohio to work at the Dayton Art Institute. There, she directed the reinstallation of the institute’s Asian wing and curated two exhibitions with accompanying catalogues: “Eternal China: Art From the First Dynasties” in 1998 and “The Glory of the Silk Road: Art From Ancient China” in 2003.
Her renowned success at Dayton didn’t go unnoticed, and in 2007, Li was hired by VMFA. After completing the installation of the museum’s new East Asian galleries, Li curated two highly acclaimed exhibitions, “Forbidden City: Imperial Treasures from the Palace Museum, Beijing” in 2014 and “The Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China” in 2017.
Today, Li’s focus is on strengthening and expanding the museum’s Chinese, Japanese and Korean holdings.
Li shares with us here a few of her favorite pieces from the VMFA’s East Asian collection, as well as a special item from her own home.
