By Matthew Gavin, Assoc. Video Editor – (Photo Courtesy of the McMullen Museum)

Hailed as “the little museum that could” by the Wall Street Journal in 1999, the McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College will continue its mission to provide innovative, interdisciplinary exhibitions to the public as the exclusive traveling venue for Asian Journeys: Collecting Art in Post-war America.

On display beginning Feb. 6, Asian Journeys will explore the sociopolitical context for collecting Asian art in the post─World War II period in America. Initially organized and displayed by the Asia Society Museum in New York last year, it will feature some of the most prominent works of “The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III Collection,” focusing specifically on the collecting practices of John D. Rockefeller III, diplomat and founder of the Asia Society, and his wife, Blanchette.

Influenced by the Asian art collection of his parents, John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, JDR III hoped to foster cultural understanding between Asia and America in the face of politically turbulent relations following the war through his support of Asian art and culture.

“He felt that art was a way ─ art of any culture ─ was a way to understand and communicate with people,” said Diana Larsen, exhibition and collections manager/designer.

Believing that Asia would one day be an influential power in the world, JDR III assembled his collection with the aid of notable art historian Sherman E. Lee for the purpose of contributing to the Asia Society, donating his collection in its entirety to promote cooperation between the United States and Asia in 1974.

“It wasn’t like these were things in his home and he just bequeathed them to Asia Society, or donated them to Asia Society,” Margaret Neeley, publications and exhibitions administrator, said. “So art was instrumental ─ in these works in particular ─ instrumental in his idea of how to promote the beauty of the culture and the importance of Asia.”

The exhibition will feature monumental and ceramic works ranging from the late 6th century A.D. to the early 19th century A.D. from China, Japan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Tibet.

Divided into five sections, the installation will chronologically trace the collecting practices of JDR III, first exploring his initial interest in Asia and art and then following his acquisitions throughout the post-war era. The upstairs portion of the museum will be where the majority of monumental works will be featured, due to the height of the pieces and the higher ceilings, according to Larsen.

Among the 56 works on display are two in particular touted by the museum’s administrators as being among the finest works of their kind.

One, Bodhisattva Maitreya, an 8th century bronze sculpture from Thailand, is considered by many to be the “crown jewel” of the collection, according to its object label, and demonstrates a representation of Maitreya, a future Buddha, that was prevalent throughout Southeast Asia from the 7th through 9th century.

The other, Head of Buddha, also Thai and believed to have originated circa the 8th century, reflects the ideals of the influential Mon people, an ethnic group that was central to the spread of Buddhism throughout Southeast Asia.

“These are premiere works of art,” Neeley said. “They don’t get better examples of Asian art than these here.”

Larsen called the pieces the best of their type in the world, and with reference to Head of Buddha, said, “It’s just, it’s incomparable. There’s nothing as good as this anywhere.”

The final section of the exhibition will be a special gallery, unique to the McMullen installation, featuring photographs by Mary Louise Pierson, JDR III’s great niece and grand-daughter of his brother Nelson.

With a focus on the legacy of the Rockefeller family and their connection to Asian art, maintained through five generations, the gallery will provide an inside glimpse at the family’s two estates that housed the original installations of their collections.

Among the photographs are images of the interior of the main house, original Japanese shrine, and teahouse built by Nelson at the family’s Kykuit estate in New York’s Hudson River Valley. Other photographs display the scenic Asian garden created by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller and garden designer Beatrix Farrand in the 1930s at the family’s summer home, “The Eyrie,” in Mount Desert Island, Maine.

In conjunction with the prominent Asian works on display, this archival section will provide a context for the family’s collecting practices, and round out the exhibition as an intersection of history, international relations, personal relationships and art collecting.

The exhibition will be on display Feb. 6 to June 6, with a public opening celebration scheduled for Monday, Feb. 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the museum. Also planned is an accompanying lecture series during the semester, featuring speakers Vishakha N. Desai, president and CEO of the Asia Society; James Hevia, director of the international studies program at the University of Chicago; and Andy Rotman, associate professor of religion at Smith College.

In presenting public programs and scholarly catalogues in addition to the exhibition itself, the McMullen hopes to continue its heralded reputation as a vibrant educational resource for the New England, national, and international communities with Asian Journeys.

“Our audience is an academic audience since we exist for the students and the faculty here, so we want to make sure that they’re of a certain scholarly level,” Neeley said.

Citing the works displayed in the collection as among the best examples of Asian art in the world, Neely added, “It’s wonderful to bring that to the students here, and give them the opportunity to see this.”

Asian Journeys: Collecting Art in Post-war America was organized by Asia Society, New York. Presentation at the McMullen was designed by Diana Larsen and underwritten by BC with support from the Patrons of the McMullen Museum.