Robert Mintz
Chief Curator, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Quincy Curator of Asian Art
Robert Mintz (Ph.D. University of Washington) is a scholar of Asian art based in Baltimore. His interest in the arts emerged while a student at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and his fascination with Asia began while studying at the University of Michigan during the 1980s. His doctoral research done through the University of Washington explored the paintings of the eighteenth-century Japanese poet and painter Yosa Buson.
Since completing this work, he has explored topics ranging from Japanese medieval narrative paintings and Chinese legends to contemporary institutional architecture and the post-pop avant-garde in Asia. His most recent publication, Japanese Cloisonné Enamels (2009) accompanies a 2010 exhibition of the same name. Today his research focuses on issues arising from the interrelationship of Chinese and Japanese works of art with an emphasis on products of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
He has held positions over the last decade as visiting professor of art history at Central Washington University, adjunct professor of Asian art history at Seattle University and visiting professor of Japanese art history at the University of Washington. He currently teaches courses in the history of Chinese and Japanese art on an adjunct basis for Towson University.
Ongoing and Recent Projects
Japanese Sword Furniture Digitization Project
This project, funded through a grant provided by the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), seeks to photograph, catalog, and document the entire Walters collection of Japanese sword fittings, or furniture. Through the work of the 2008-09 Bates Curatorial Fellow Hilary Snow, the vast majority of the collection was researched and documented by July 2009. Photographer Jennifer Pangraze captured images of all of the collection pieces and these have largely been linked to research findings and are now posted on the Walters Art Museum web site in a distinct "gallery" page entitled Japanese Arms and Armor. The project continues through ongoing refinements and the incorporation of new research information.
Japanese Enamels Catalog Project
Throughout 2008 and 2009 we have been focused on cataloging the collection of Japanese enamels of Baltimorean Stephen W. Fisher. This project has produced a catalog, Japanese Cloisonné Enamels, published by the Walters Art Museum and continues in preparation for a large scale exhibition of major pieces from the collection to be mounted at the Walters between February 14, 2010 and May 9, 2010. Study and documentation of the decorative enamels in this collection has supported and informed ongoing research into the later nineteenth-century Japanese materials that distinguish the Walters' collections. Publication Pending
Chinese Ink Rubbings Cataloging and Identification Project
Hundreds of early and important Chinese ink rubbings of carved stone stele inscriptions, dedications, and imagery were entrusted to the Walters Art Museum in 1990 by the late Laurance Roberts and his wife Isabel. Through cooperation with Academica Sinica in Taipei, we are moving toward a full documentation, identification, and eventual digital imaging of these rubbings for inclusion in the growing database of Chinese rubbings from international collections being amassed in Taiwan.
Journal of the Walters Art Museum, vols. 64/65 (2006-2007)
Published to celebrate the tenure of Hiram W. Woodward, Jr. as curator of Asian art at the Walters Art Museum, this festschrift brings together eleven essays on the arts of Asia, ranging from studies of temple architecture and decoration (at Phimai, Bantéy Chmàr, Borobudur, Candi Mendut, Candi Plaosan, and Candi Jago), Thai sculpture and painting, Chinese, Japanese, and Anatolian ceramics.
The Sacred Sculpture of Thailand, Hiram W. Woodward Jr.
The sculpture of Thailand includes some of Asia's most beautiful and significant works, but it is among the least studied and the least understood area of Asian art. This lavishly illustrated, path-breaking book tells the story of this sculpture over a period of a thousand years (7th-18th century CE), based on studies of the most important and comprehensive collection outside of Thailand, including thermoluminscence, clay core, and petrographic analysis. Comparative illustrations, maps, a chronology, and glossary make this work an indispensable reference.
Exhibitions
Japanese Cloisonné Enamels
This exhibition (February 14, 2010-May 9, 2010) celebrates the beauty and technical perfection of Japanese cloisonné enamels of the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The Stephen W. Fisher collection of Japanese cloisonné enamels is one of the finest in the world. Comprised largely of pieces created during Japan's "golden age" of decorative art production, this collection features many intricately adorned vases, boxes, and trays worked in gold, silver, and dazzling colored enamels.
Autumn Colors
This exhibition (September 27, 2008–November 30, 2008) of paintings from the collection of Betsy and Robert Feinberg explored the image and meaning of the autumn season, as it resonated with the various Japanese schools of painting during the 18th and 19th centuries. Works by nanga, rimpa, ukiyo-e, and Maruyama-Shijo painters all explored sites and subjects that have long been synonymous with autumn in Japan, including the red leaves of Takao and the crimson momiji, or Japanese maple.
Recurrence
This exhibition (September 19, 2007–January 20, 2008) featured selections from the Walters collections of Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, Medieval and Asian collections and explored the practices of image reuse and repetition.