The Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art
Encyclopedia
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(USA), is a member of the Dallas arts district and offers free daily admission. The museum is a gift to the people and visitors of Dallas from Mr. and Mrs. Crow. It opened officially without charge to the public on December 5, 1998.
The Crow Collection is a permanent set of galleries dedicated to the arts and cultures of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. The museum offers a serene setting for quiet reflection and learning. The museum is located at the bottom of Trammell Crow
Trammell Crow
F. Trammell Crow was an American real estate developer. Crow is credited for creating several famous real estate projects, including Dallas Market Center, Peachtree Center , and San Francisco's Embarcadero Center.-Biography:Crow was born in Dallas, Texas...
’s own namesake tower, the Trammell Crow Center
Trammell Crow Center
Trammell Crow Center is a 50-story postmodern skyscraper at 2001 Ross Avenue in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas. With a structural height of , and to the roof, it is the sixth-tallest building in Dallas and the 18th-tallest in the state The tower was designed by the architecture...
.
The Crow’s youngest son, Trammell S. Crow, is the president of the museum. Clarence Shangraw, a curator emeritus of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco is a museum in San Francisco, California, United States. It has one of the most comprehensive collections of Asian art in the world....
, was the consultant who selected the initial items for display. Currently, Amy Lewis Hofland is Director and Dr. Caron Smith is Curator.
The Crow Collection is on the social networks Twitter and Facebook.
History
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Southeastern Asia, spanning 3500 B.C. to the early 20th century. The Trammell and Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art opened to the general public as a permanent museum in December 1998, at 2010 Flora in the Arts District of downtown Dallas.
The Crows have traveled extensively throughout the world, but Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
is a favorite destination. "Our first visit to China came in 1976 right before Chairman Mao Tse-tung died," Mrs. Crow said. "Very few foreigners were allowed inside China at that time, but we received permission because of Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center
Dallas Market Center, located along Stemmons Freeway in Dallas, Texas , sits on of land and spans more than . Dallas Market Center is the international home of the lighting industry, a leader in home décor and the national home of the floral and Christmas industries.- The campus :The...
’s involvement with the Canton Trade Fair."
Tight restrictions on exports from China prevented the Crows from making many direct buys of art during their 14 subsequent visits to the country. The majority of their collection has been obtained from individual purchases through private dealers and auction houses, as well as through the acquisition of major collections, such as the highly respected Morrie A. Moss collection. In total, the Crow family has amassed more than 4,000 pieces of Asian art, among which the 569 best were selected, after extensive analysis, by a noted curator for inclusion in The Crow Collection.
"Trammell has always loved Chinese art; it fascinates him, especially jade," Mrs. Crow said. "And I’ve always appreciated English décor, which has been influenced by the Chinese for centuries. So it was very easy for us to develop this partnership, this love for Asian art."
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He has since traveled extensively throughout Asia and has acquired numerous works of art from his travels.
Mrs. Crow said the art, which ranges from Chinese jades and Buddhist sculpture to Japanese crystal spheres and screen paintings, has been displayed extensively in lobbies, reception and office areas at the Trammell Crow Center
Trammell Crow Center
Trammell Crow Center is a 50-story postmodern skyscraper at 2001 Ross Avenue in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas. With a structural height of , and to the roof, it is the sixth-tallest building in Dallas and the 18th-tallest in the state The tower was designed by the architecture...
, other office buildings, marts, hotels, and in the homes of the Crows and their children. A baradari, a gazebo
Gazebo
A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal, that may be built, in parks, gardens, and spacious public areas. Gazebos are freestanding or attached to a garden wall, roofed, and open on all sides; they provide shade, shelter, ornamental features in a landscape, and a place to rest...
used in gardens of Indian palaces and residences for relaxation and meditation, spent years on the lakeshore at the Crow family farm in East Texas before its selection for the collection. "Because the art was scattered between commercial buildings and our families' homes, we had little notion of what kind of a collection we had until pieces were gathered for the exhaustive selection process," Mrs. Crow said.
The idea for the museum came about when Mr. and Mrs. Crow, married for 56 years, decided they would like to keep the collection intact as a legacy for their six children, 13 grandchildren and the general public. At that point, the interior of the Pavilion at the Trammell Crow Center was redesigned and renovated to meet the special needs of a gallery displaying centuries-old art year-round.
Permanent collection
The Crow Collection has three galleries. The Gallery I is located on the first floor and is where Japanese art is shown, except when travelling exhibitions are on display. The Lotus Shop and garden flank Gallery I.The second floor is home to Gallery II and along with the mezzanine, is where Chinese artifacts are displayed. The Jade
Jade
Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
collection, one of the finest in the US and a pillar of the Crow Collection, is located here. Most of the items are from the 18th century, when the traditional Chinese jade industry (before the arrival of the industrial age) reached its zenith. There are many snuff bottles on display as well.
The sky bridge connects Gallery II and Gallery III and is one of the most popular places in the museum. A glass structure held up by steel beams, the sky bridge looks at the Nasher Sculpture Center
Nasher Sculpture Center
Opened in 2003, the Nasher Sculpture Center is a museum in Dallas, Texas that houses a collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. It is located on a site adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art in the heart of the Dallas Arts District...
and the Trammell Crow Center
Trammell Crow Center
Trammell Crow Center is a 50-story postmodern skyscraper at 2001 Ross Avenue in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas. With a structural height of , and to the roof, it is the sixth-tallest building in Dallas and the 18th-tallest in the state The tower was designed by the architecture...
and overlooks The Seated Daoist Deity fountain.
Gallery III is dominated by the Mugal wall, which is hung from the ceiling due to its extreme weight, and two Indian gazebos. Gallery III is the primary site for Indian and Southeast Asia works of art.
Past exhibitions
- Touching the Mekong: A Southeast Asian Sojourn (2006): Contemporary black-and-white photography depicts life in Southeast Asia. Imagine contemporary life in mainland Southeast Asia…Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Cambodia and Laos. Through more than 50 black-and-white images taken from 2001–2002, photographer Andrea Baldeck visually guides visitors through the cultures and into the lives of people living in Southeast Asia.
- The Spinnaker Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles (2007): The Spinnaker Collection of Chinese Snuff Bottles provides intriguing insight into the extraordinary lengths to which the Imperial workshops of Qing Dynasty China (1644–1912) sought to impress the Emperors, aristocrats and literati.
- Changing Identity: Recent Works by Women Artists from Vietnam (2007): The show introduced the work of ten contemporary Vietnamese women artists who challenge the stereotypes and traditional roles of women in Vietnamese society. This exhibition was the first survey of women artists from Vietnam to tour the United States. Through the use of various media, subject matters, and aesthetic sensibilities, two generations of artists share views of their country and the changing status of women. Together their work provides a diverse view of Vietnam itself, reflecting a range of opinions and experiences.
- Texas Collects Asia (2008): A series of five exhibitions that celebrate our ten-year anniversary. The Crow Collection of Asian Art presents a selection of impressive works that cover the below five topics:
- Japan
- India and Southeast Asia
- China
- Japanese Folk Art
- Contemporary Art
- Untamed Beauty: Tigers in Japanese Art (2009): Untamed Beauty is an exhibition of tiger paintings, the products of the fertile imaginations of twenty-one Japanese artists. Many of Japan's most famous painters of the last three hundred years are represented in this remarkable exhibition. Tigers are not indigenous to Japan but their absence spurred fanciful ideas about their nature and physical form.
- Yeohlee: Design For Now (2009): This was the first major exhibition in Dallas about the work of Yeohlee and feature selected fashion designs and concepts from Yeohlee’s 2004–2009 collections. The focus was on the evolution of her approach to design, which closely parallels architectural concerns but is ultimately attentive to the body. The exhibition explores four primary themes: Urban Nomad, Made in New York, Fluid Geometry, and Zero Waste.
- Modern Twist: Bamboo Works from the Clark Center and the Art of Motoko Maio (2010): The Crow Collection explores the intersection of tradition, innovation, and design by pairing the traditional arts of basket making and screen making- the first a selection of works form the Clark Center in Hanford, California, and the second the exquisite work of artist Motoko Maio.
- New Vision: Ballpoint Drawings by Il Lee (2010): Il Lee is a New York artist who for over 30 years has been exploring contemporary possibilities in drawing and painting in his chosen medium of ball point pen. In exploring the language of modernism Lee has moved through minimalistic representation of line and form to a more abstracted language of kinetics. His progression is far from a retooling of modernist approaches and much more an exploration of timeless and contemporary concerns from within his own highly developed practice. Organized in collaboration with Art Projects International, New York.
The Trammell Crow Center
Trammell Crow Center
Trammell Crow Center is a 50-story postmodern skyscraper at 2001 Ross Avenue in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas. With a structural height of , and to the roof, it is the sixth-tallest building in Dallas and the 18th-tallest in the state The tower was designed by the architecture...
stands at a height of 686 feet (209.1 m) and is the sixth-tallest building in Dallas and the 18th-tallest in Texas. The building totals 1200000 square feet (111,483.6 m²) on 50 floors and has a polished and flamed granite exterior with a garden plaza and is bordered by the Crow Collection. There are numerous restaurants available in close proximity to the building: the Nasher Sculpture Center
Nasher Sculpture Center
Opened in 2003, the Nasher Sculpture Center is a museum in Dallas, Texas that houses a collection of modern and contemporary sculpture. It is located on a site adjacent to the Dallas Museum of Art in the heart of the Dallas Arts District...
, the Winspear Opera House, and the Dallas Museum of Art
Dallas Museum of Art
The Dallas Museum of Art is a major art museum located in the Arts District of downtown Dallas, Texas, USA, along Woodall Rodgers Freeway between St. Paul and Harwood. In 1984, the museum moved from its previous location in Fair Park to the Arts District, Dallas, Texas...
. The Crow Center has twenty-five state-of-the-art high-speed passenger elevators, providing maximum efficiency to all floors of the complex.
Driving directions
From DFW Airport: Take south airport exit to 183 East. Continue on 183 East to 35E South. From 35E South, take the exit labeled "75/45" to get onto the Woodall Rogers Freeway. Exit south on Pearl Street. Proceed through Flora Street to Ross Avenue. Turn right onto Ross Avenue to Olive Street. Turn right onto Olive Street until Flora Street. Turn left onto Flora Street and The Crow Collection will be to the left.From Fort Worth: Take I-30 East to 35E North. From 35E North, take the exit labeled "75/45" to get onto the Woodall Rogers Freeway. Exit south on Pearl Street. Turn right onto Flora Street.
From I-35E: Take the exit labeled "75/45" to get onto the Woodall Rogers Freeway. Exit south on Pearl Street. Turn right onto Flora Street.
From Hwy. 75/I-45: Take the 35-E Waco ramp, merging onto the Woodall Rogers Freeway. Immediately exit Pearl Street, head south on Pearl and cross over Woodall Rogers. Turn right onto Flora Street.
From DART Rail: Take Dallas Area Rapid Transit Light Rail System into downtown Dallas. Exit train at the St. Paul Street stop, walk North on Harwood three blocks from Bryan Street to Ross Avenue. Trammell Crow Center is 2001 Ross Avenue, between Harwood and Olive streets.
Parking
Paid parking is available in the Trammell Crow Center Garage, which can be accessed from either Harwood or Olive streets. Metered parking can be found on Harwood, Ross and Olive streets. Paid surface lots can be found on Ross and Olive streets.
The Lotus Shop
