The Lutz Bamboo Collection: A Love Affair

Mona Lutz and Adelle Lutz

Guest speakers Mona Lutz and Adelle Lutz received an especially warm welcome from the audience at this Curator’s Circle Conversation. Many attendees remembered them and the exhibits that brought them to Denver twenty years earlier. Selections from the Lutz family’s extensive and varied bamboo collection were showcased in the Asian art galleries of the Denver Art Museum on five separate occasions from 1979 to1984. Mona and Adelle, who are mother and daughter, returned to Denver to see old friends and to introduce a new generation of art lovers to this remarkable collection.

Walter E. Lutz (1910-2003), Mona’s husband and Adelle’s father, began collecting bamboo after a series of fortuitous life events. Raised in Ohio, he trained to be a minister, but World War II interrupted his chosen career. Lutz encountered bamboo for the first time while in the armed services stationed in the Philippines. He observed the hardy grass used for housing, flooring, furniture, eating utensils, and storage containers, and was intrigued by its versatility. Sent to Japan as part of the occupation forces after the war, Lutz saw bamboo artifacts, an experience that gave him insight into the importance of bamboo in the country’s history and culture. He was fascinated by its beauty and usefulness and inspired to collect bamboo in all shapes and forms. Mona Miwako Furuki, whom he married while stationed in Japan, was his partner in many collecting adventures. They began purchasing bamboo objects during the post-war years when many bamboo treasures came on the market because of desperate economic conditions in the country. Over the years the couple traveled extensively, especially in Asia, and acquired pieces in Taipei, Seoul, Hong Kong, Manila, Bangkok, and Saigon.

As a child, Adelle did not always consider herself fortunate to be a part of a collecting family. She often felt embarrassed about her parents’ preoccupation; it was an oddity in the 1960s in Ohio where she grew up. Adelle began to appreciate the collection only after she traveled to Japan where she was able to see bamboo in its cultural context. Today she cherishes the family’s holdings and is especially proud of the collection’s breadth; it includes not only highly valued objects made by important artists, but utilitarian items crafted by non-artists, as well.

As Mona and Adelle began showing slides of selected pieces from their collection, they pointed out that some were carved from the root of the bamboo, while others were created from the strong and flexible branches of the grass. Representing only a small part of the family’s holdings, these objects illustrated, in a dramatic fashion, the versatility of bamboo. Among the images presented were decorative objects for personal adornment; serving dishes and eating utensils; containers for transport and storage; writing tools; and musical instruments. The audience expressed amazement at the variety and originality of the items shown and enjoyed Mona’s descriptions of when and where individual objects were acquired.

The collection occupies a special place in the hearts of both mother and daughter for it reflects a family endeavor that spans close to a half century. Walter may have been the driving force originally, but his wife and daughters Adelle and Tina Chow (1950-1992) shared his fascination with bamboo and were intimately involved in building the collection. Although most pieces were acquired during Walter’s lifetime, Mona and Adelle have purchased additional objects in recent years. The Lutz Bamboo Collection now numbers over 4,000 items, including hundreds of works donated to the Denver Art Museum.

Today bamboo is used less for everyday items like utensils and bowls, but it continues to be a highly desirable material for flooring, furniture, and decorative art. Bamboo basketry provides one example of the material’s continuing allure. In recent years, the price of bamboo baskets has skyrocketed, reflecting an increasing popularity and demand for this traditional Japanese art form.

During her workshop, Mona focused on an important use of bamboo baskets: for displaying flowers and other natural materials in ikebana designs. Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement, had its beginnings in a religious context. Monks placed floral arrangements on altars as a symbol of reverence for Buddha. Creating large and elaborate floral displays later became a popular pastime among men of the nobility and the samurai class. Over the years, ikebana was codified to provide strict rules for the design of arrangements. Today there are a multitude of “schools” of ikebana, i.e., groups with their own ideas, methods, and styles. Mona is a member of the Ohara School, one of more than 1,000 ikebana groups recognized by the Japanese government.

Using bamboo baskets of different shapes and sizes, Mona created five floral arrangements for her audience. She pointed out that the goal of ikebana is to design a natural-looking display that is pleasing from at least three sides. For that reason, she took great care not to pack the materials too densely and turned her arrangements to view them from different angles. At one point she used the term “way of the wind” to describe the look she was trying to achieve.

Through Mona’s commentary and demonstration, audience members learned that ikebana requires attention to appropriateness, balance, and form. The particular vessel used often determines the degree of formality of the arrangement and the types of flowers used. Combining materials successfully involves varying the heights of flora, balancing the number of flowers in bud and those in bloom, and paying attention to the specific form (upright, slanted, cascading) that each type of flower contributes to the overall design.

During their appearances in Denver, Mona Lutz and Adelle Lutz enlightened audiences about the versatility of bamboo and shared some of the treasures from their family's collection. Local art lovers look forward to their next visit to Colorado and to hearing more about their continuing love affair with bamboo.

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