Ask Asian art expert Barry Till about the best thing he ever found in China, and heB次元官网网址檒l probably tell you itB次元官网网址檚 his family.
Till met his wife Paula there when he was a student and the couple eventually adopted their daughter Jasmine from China as well.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a kind of mini-United Nations,B次元官网网址� he jokes. Paula is originally Dutch and Till grew up in Saskatchewan.
ItB次元官网网址檚 a far cry from small-town Saskatchewan to China, but Till, who has been the Curator of Asian Art at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria for the past 30 years, heard the call of the ancient world early. B次元官网网址淚 always loved ancient things B次元官网网址� I loved museums ever since I was young,B次元官网网址� he says.
TillB次元官网网址檚 eyes light up as he talks about the galleryB次元官网网址檚 Asian art collection. ItB次元官网网址檚 one of the best in the country, he says.
Till should know. He earned a BA and Masters in Far Eastern Studies at the University of Saskatchewan before attending EnglandB次元官网网址檚 prestigious Oxford University to study for a Doctor of Philosophy. While at Oxford he won a scholarship to study in China. He spent the next year in Beijing and two consecutive years in Nanjing studying and learning Mandarin. In Nanjing he was the first foreigner to be selected as a model student. B次元官网网址淪an hao xue sheng B次元官网网址� it means to excel in the three aspects B次元官网网址� study, sports and attitude.B次元官网网址�
While studying in Saskatchewan, Till knew his future path would go one of two ways, toward being professor or working in a museum. His years in China solidified his path toward working with, and helping to preserve the culture he has come to love.
There are more than 8,000 pieces of Asian art in the galleryB次元官网网址檚 collection B次元官网网址� some 42 per cent of the total collection. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not size, itB次元官网网址檚 the quality or the craftsmanship we look at for the value,B次元官网网址� Till insists. The most intricate are paintings on pieces of ivory as small as a grain of rice. Then there are large paintings valued in the millions.
TillB次元官网网址檚 fancy though, is taken by the tomb figures, small replicas of people and animals made of terra cotta clay. B次元官网网址淚t shows what they thought they needed in the next life,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淗orses, dancing girls, servants, guards or warriors, even camels and foreigners in case they needed to trade anything.B次元官网网址�
One of his favourite pieces is a horse that is currently on display with the Enduring Arts of China, which runs until May 6 at the gallery. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 well crafted, a perfect horse with great expression on its face B次元官网网址� itB次元官网网址檚 quite intense. From a variety of angles itB次元官网网址檚 very interesting to view,B次元官网网址� he says.
Along with finding items for the galleryB次元官网网址檚 collection, Till gives tours in the gallery and lectures about the exhibits. He also spends hours immersing himself in the details of each piece.
B次元官网网址淚 like to talk about art, especially the art history aspect of it B次元官网网址� if you focus on the blood, sex and gore, people find it very interesting.
B次元官网网址淚 always tell the truth,B次元官网网址� he adds. B次元官网网址淚 just concentrate on the more exciting parts.B次元官网网址�
Over his 30 years at the gallery he built the Asian collection from a small, mostly Japanese grouping to what it is today mainly through donations. B次元官网网址淎 lot of people collect Chinese art and will donate it,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淲e borrow objects and once (the owners) see how much itB次元官网网址檚 appreciated and feel it will go to a good home, they will donate it.B次元官网网址� Art from Tibet and South East Asia has added to the growing collection as well.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 very pleased to be located in a small place with pretty much free rein to do my own exhibitions,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 probably whatB次元官网网址檚 kept me here.B次元官网网址� Putting together exhibits and catalogues every three or four months also keeps him satisfied. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 constantly reading. IB次元官网网址檓 forced to learn more all the time. ItB次元官网网址檚 becoming a challenge, learning more and more B次元官网网址� but it keeps the old brain going.B次元官网网址�
