Nomad Exhibitions announces tour of Ming treasures in Spain

The UK-based exhibition producers Nomad Exhibitions have recently announced the creation of a new tour for their exhibition Ming: The Golden Empire, which is planned to travel through Spain from the summer of 2016. This new tour is the outcome of a new collaboration for Nomad with the prestigious “la Caixa” Foundation, the largest private foundation in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. “la Caixa” Foundation will present the exhibition at their CaixaForums in Zaragoza, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona in 2016 and 2017. Following the successful productions of the exhibition Ming: The Golden Empire in Amsterdam and Edinburgh in 2013 and 2014, Nomad Exhibitions and “la Caixa” Foundation will now present of the show in several Spanish cities from next year. For this new tour, Nomad will facilitate cooperation between the Foundation’s cultural department and senior curators of Nanjing Museum, one of China’s largest museums, to produce a unique rediscovery of the fascinating dynasty that ruled over China from 1368 to 1644. With Ming: The Golden Empire, audiences in Spain will have an opportunity to experience Ming art and culture beyond the iconic blue and white porcelain and discover the major artistic, social and economic achievements that have marked the Ming Dynasty as the golden empire of Chinese history. With a population which grew from 65 million to around 175 million, ruled by a succession of sixteen emperors for three centuries, the Ming Dynasty saw the development of a complex imperial system, a widening social structure, and a thriving economy and consumer culture. The long and stable rule provided a unique foundation for creativity and social improvement, leading to outstanding artistic, social, and economic transformations that will be explored in this major exhibition. More than 100 treasures from the impressive collections of Nanjing Museum will be unveiled to visitors in Spain. Collections on display will include extremely rare Ming ceramics, paintings by some of the most prestigious artists of the times, exquisite jewellery, textiles, enamel, gilt and porcelain works, which have never been seen in Spain before. “The objects displayed in this project are extremely rare, before this exhibition many have never been out of China”, says the Deputy Director of Nanjing Museum Mr Huang. “An exceptional number of National Treasures have been selected for this tour. They will offer an unprecedented discovery of Ming culture to Spanish visitors.” Ming: The Golden Empire will be part of the extensive programme of exhibitions presented by “la Caixa” Foundation in 2016-2017. “One of the core purposes of “la Caixa” Foundation is to present art and culture to people in Spain with a programme of exhibitions that we showcase in our network of CaixaForums throughout the country. The presentation of major exhibitions on ancient civilisations is one key aspect of our activities, and we are delighted to be able to present one of the most famous, yet not so well understood, Chinese dynasties to our visitors”, says Isabel Salgado Gispert, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture of "la Caixa" Foundation. “Ming: The Golden Empire will be the first major exhibition in many years celebrating Chinese art and heritage in Spain. We look forward to welcoming the outstanding collections from Nanjing Museum and unveiling such a rich and vivid part of the history of China to our public”, she adds. Produced by the UK-based company Nomad Exhibitions, creators of exclusive international touring museum exhibitions, Ming: The Golden Empire is one of the most popular touring exhibitions developed by the organisation. “This project is the result of a seven year collaboration with our colleagues at Nanjing Museum. It is very much at the heart of Nomad’s mission to facilitate international collaborations on high profile exhibition projects and to help foster dialogue between cultures. We are very proud to be able to bring this collection to new audiences around the world”, says Tim Pethick, Director of Nomad Exhibitions. For additional information, please visit http://www.nomadexhibitions.com/news/2015/3/24/new-collaboration-announcement Pictured: images of the "Ming: The Golden Empire" exhibition in Amsterdam ((c) Nomad Exhibitions) and Edinburgh ((c) Paul Zanre)