It’s ironic that at a moment when precious, historically important or beautiful antiquities are being sledgehammered in politically unstable regions of the world, New York is playing host to hundreds of treasures spanning four millennia.
One week every March, about 40 antiques dealers in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian and Southeast Asian material mount their top exhibitions of the year. Cultural institutions like the Asia Society and the Rubin Museum of Art host special events, lectures and celebrations of this so-called “Asia Week.” At the same time, auction houses host their biggest annual sales of Asian art and antiques. Items ranging from golden Buddhas to ancient scroll paintings to stone deities go on display, or on the block, from March 13-21.
