Curatorial Conversations and Lectures

Freer avidly collected works by the Japanese artist Hokusai. Curator Ann Yonemura explains how his appreciation for Hokusai's bold, creative genius resulted in the world's foremost collection of the artist's paintings. This recording offers excerpts of a Point of View Gallery Talk presented in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on April 11, 2006. The talk is the second of a series entitled Freer's View, which explores what Freer himself thought of particular objects from his museum's treasures.

Contemporary artist Hiroshi Sugimoto talks with James Ulak, deputy director and curator of Japanese art at the Freer and Sackler Galleries, about his exhibition "Hiroshi Sugimoto: History of History." In this interview Sugimoto discusses his Japanese roots and western influences, the relationship between his role as art collector and his own artwork, and his process of selecting material for this exhibition.

Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), surveys the global history of fashion, including Ottoman court dress. Co-sponsored with the Textile Museum. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Style and Status: Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey. Recorded live at the Freer Gallery of Art's Meyer Auditorium on January 9, 2006.

European fascination with the textile and costume arts of the Ottoman Empire has shaped design and clothing for centuries. Professor Walter B. Denny from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is the Charles Grant Ellis Research Associate for Oriental Carpets at the Textile Museum. Co-sponsored with the Textile Museum. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Style and Status: Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey. This talk was recorded live at the Freer Gallery of Art's Meyer Auditorium on January 9, 2006.

Take a look at the exhibition Style and Status: Imperial Costumes from Ottoman Turkey, with Massumeh Farhad, chief curator and curator of Islamic Art at the Freer and Sackler Galleries, and Nurhan Atasoy, principal contributor to the book Ipek: Imperial Ottoman Silks and Velvets.