Loss as Catalyst: Cherishing What Remains

Ma Weidu

The final Curator’s Circle program for 2003 featured Ma Weidu, an author, collector, museum director, and scholar from China. Ma has the distinction of securing the first license to operate a private museum devoted to Chinese antiquities in Beijing. Established in 1997, the Guanfu Classic Art Museum houses more than a thousand objects; classical and country furniture comprise the largest portion of the collection, but jade, porcelains, and other objets d’art are also included. To date, all of the exhibits in the museum have been organized from Ma’s personal holdings and have not included art from any other source.

Ma’s great love of antiques originated in childhood when he witnessed the rampant destruction of personal art objects during the Cultural Revolution. At the time, private ownership of antiquities was outlawed, and many families disposed of their treasured art and artifacts secretly rather than risk reprisals. These oppressive measures were responsible for an enormous loss of China’s cultural heritage; Ma estimates that 90 percent of privately owned art in the country was destroyed during the period 1966 to 1976.

Ma began collecting at a time when communist ideas were on the wane and private ownership was once more allowed. He felt it important to preserve remaining cultural artifacts and to share them with the public by means of exhibitions. His intimate museum has only six rooms and visitors are encouraged to get close enough to the objects to touch them. This is difficult for some guests who, to this day, feel discomfort in the presence of antiquities.

Ma showed slides of his museum spaces, which are organized as furnished rooms typical of certain time periods. He pointed out that the design of furniture reflects the lifestyles and customs of those who use it. For example, when Chinese people sat on mats on the floor rather than on chairs, their tables and cabinets were lower in height because of the physical position of the user. Ma feels that it is important to study not only the individual art or cultural object, but its physical and social context as well. Thus, a person who is interested in furniture should become familiar with the rooms and buildings in which it was used, as well as the people who used it. He expressed his philosophy of collecting this way: “The focus of your collecting should be narrow, but your knowledge should be wide.”

Ma’s interest in antique furniture led him to study many subjects, including the evolution of windows and doors in China, which was the focus of his workshop. Last year he wrote a book that describes and illustrates many styles of architectural openings; most of the doors and windows in the publication are from his personal collection.

Ma emphasized that Chinese architecture has always been based on wood, a material that was widely available, offered good protection from cold, wind, and earthquakes, was easy to work with, and lent itself to decoration and partition. The Denver audience was interested to learn that architecture was not valued highly; building designers were viewed as craftsmen, and there were few records kept of their work. Thus, we know little about the individual architects who created and innovated building styles throughout Chinese history.

Ma showed slides of architecture from various areas of China in different historical periods. In general, the size of windows increased over time as residents became more concerned with light, ventilation, and security. The functions of doors and windows were often combined, with a solid lower panel for protection against the elements, and an upper portion designed to permit the entry of light and air as well as viewing. About a thousand years ago, decoration began to be incorporated in windows and doors. Latticework, available in four primary decorative styles, became a part of windows. The lower portions of these window/door combinations were often carved in relief or had pieces of colored wood applied to the surface to add a third dimension. These decorative elements added great beauty to architectural openings, as Ma’s images and window lattice samples illustrated.

In the early 1900s, the influence of Western culture and the availability of glass changed architecture in China forever. Today, new structures in China reflect modern construction methods and materials, but many fine older buildings continue to be used. Occasionally owners will decide that they prefer a modern structure, so Ma is able to obtain historically significant windows and doors for his collection when the earlier building is dismantled.

When asked about his plans for his museum and collection, Ma responded that he hopes to exhibit many objects that are now in storage, both in Beijing and as a part of international art shows. His broad knowledge, sensitivity to context, and focused energy would surely be assets in the design of meaningful exhibits of Chinese antiquities, whatever the setting.

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