Color Across Asia

December 21, 2016 - July 5, 2020

Ceramic plate with pink and gold painting decoration

The larger of the Ackland’s two Asian art galleries has been reinstalled by color, enabling visitors to experience a full spectrum of cultural influence. Color Across Asia displays several millennia of the material cultures of Asia, showcasing a rich history of innovation, invention, and imitation. From the pure white of Chinese kaolin clay to the rich black of Japanese lacquers―and all the colors in between―Ackland visitors will see how pigments, precious metals, and glazing techniques made their way from Iranian grand bazaars to Indian temples, Chinese palaces, Japanese teahouses, and beyond.

Color Across Asia has been made possible in part by The Ruth and Sherman Lee Fund for Asian Art and the Lee Family, Philip and Linda Carl, and James Keith Brown and Eric Diefenbach.

Color Across Asia is part of a groundbreaking re-installation of the Ackland Art Museum’s Asian galleries, presenting the Museum’s acclaimed collection of art from across the continent.


Image credit: Unidentified artist, Chinese, Saucer Dish with Lotus Pattern in Rose, c. 1760; porcelain with overglaze pink, famille rose,  and gold enamel decoration, 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm). Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Gift of Richard D. Pardue, 2014.39.8.