Colored in the Year’s New Light:
Japanese Surimono from the Becker Collection 
November 8–January 4

Surimono, privately published woodblock prints, comprise one of the most elegant and literary genres of Japanese printmaking traditions. Many surimono were commissioned by poetry groups in celebration of the New Year and printed using the most advanced techniques. Cleverly designed combinations of kyoka (“crazed verse”) poems and accompanying images expressed the literary wit and sophistication of the commissioners, while challenging the recipient to decipher allusions that would reveal disguised messages. This exhibition comprises prints from an outstanding private collection, representing the peak of surimono production in the early nineteenth century by such masters as Hiroshige, Hokusai, Hokkei, Gakutei, Eisen, Shinsai, Shunman, and Kunisada.

Due to the size of the collection and light-sensitivity of the prints, the exhibition will be displayed in two rotations. The first part will remain on view through December 7 and the second part will be shown from December 9 to January 4.

Art of the Written Word: Calligraphy in Asia 
November 8–January 4

Many Asian cultures, from the Islamic world to China and Japan, regard calligraphy as the highest form of art. Selections from the Museum’s collection explore diverse calligraphic traditions in religious and secular contexts, ranging from ancient times to the present. A variety of works will be featured, including oracle bones, Qur’an pages, and works of Persian, Indian and Japanese literature, as well as contemporary interpretations by artists such as Wenda Gu.

Silent but Not Quiet: The Message in Documentary Photographs from the Collection of Martin Margulies 
November 8–January 4

From the documentary photographs of Lewis Hine to the quiet landscapes of Paul Caponigro, contrasted with the industrial wastelands of Ed Burtynsky, this exhibition highlights recent gifts from the noted collection of Martin Margulies. The Margulies collection of contemporary art is a highlight for visitors to Miami Basel each year, with its world-class art from around the world. In addition to the photographs, Mr. Margulies recently gave a work by the important British abstract sculptor Anthony Caro, which can be see on the Johnson’s south lawn.

Contemporary Prints and Drawings 
November 1–January 4

The exhibition will focus on recent acquisitions in contemporary prints and drawings. Among many other drawings and prints acquired with funds from the Contemporary Art Fund, the exhibition will include a recent ink drawing by Buffalo native Laylah Ali, part of her ongoing Typology series, in which she examines the many ways identity is manifested while referencing issues of race, class, gender, and power. Also included will be four large-scale etchings by Amy Sillman that she completed at Crown Point Press in 2007. It is not only their subject matter that is closely related to Sillman’s painting on view at the Museum, but also their process. Sillman has noted, “Everything that is done in my painting was taken apart layer by layer in printmaking. You take one hundred layers apart and figure out which six will work.”

Spectacular Saturn: Images from the Cassini-Huygens Mission
September 20–January 4

This exhibit displays over fifty images of the planet Saturn, its rings, and its satellites. This selection, by Cornell members of the Cassini project, was made from almost two hundred thousand images that have been transmitted to Earth since the Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004. It also includes a few images taken by Huygens, a companion lander that parachuted through the dense atmosphere to the surface of Saturn’s intriguing moon, Titan. The stunningly beautiful images were chosen to emphasize the dynamic nature of the system and the interactions of moons and rings, as well as to explore Titan and Enceladus, two satellites with environments that might be hospitable to life. A spacecraft model will also be on view as well as historical books about Saturn from the Kroch Rare and Manuscript Collection.

A façade projection of images from Saturn will be seen on the east side of the Museum from sunset until 11:00 p.m. between October 2 to 26.

Frank Lloyd Wright Art Glass from the Martin House
Ongoing

This installation, in the Museum’s American art galleries on our second floor, brings one of Wright’s famous “Tree of Life” windows to Cornell. On loan from the Darwin D. Martin House, an important 1905 Wright house in Buffalo, this window is presented in tandem with the Museum’s own art glass casements from the Martin House. This pairing of art glass panels designed for different areas of the house shows how Wright redefined the boundary between interior and exterior space and explores Wright’s revolutionary use of color and light in architecture. The Johnson Museum installation and the accompanying materials were made possible by a generous contribution from Bill Cooke Chevrolet-Cadillac, Inc., and Bill Cooke Imports, Inc., of Ithaca.