Aaron Rio | Art of the Medieval Zen Monastery

Soon after the introduction of Zen Buddhism from China in the 13th century, newly established Zen monasteries became engines of artistic exchange and production in Japan’s urban centers. At the heart of this religious/artistic community were monks—devoted practitioners of Zen, but also art collectors and scholars, poets and painters, and arbiters of cultural taste—and their lay patrons. Focusing on works in the Burke Collection, this talk will explore the multifaceted role of the medieval Zen monastery in the collecting, reception, production, display, and transmission of works of art.

Aaron Rio, PhD, is assistant curator of Japanese and Korean Art at Mia. His specialty is in medieval and early-modern Japanese painting.

To register, call (612) 870-6323 or reserve online.