Modern Art at the Asian

One of the coolest things about the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco...



...is that they circulate their works of art so prodigiously that the museum looks half-new every time you visit the permanent collection.



Though I love all the old Buddha sculptures...



...and items like "The Womb Mandala," (above) donated by poet Gary Snyder, no less...



...my favorite artworks in the museum tend to be contemporary, such as the Korean mountain painting above.



In the Japan wing, there's a whole new selection of modern baskets...



...that are not only miracles of design but really stretch the idea of "basket" to unheard of places.



In the ancient Indian wing on the third floor...



...a large contemporary painting depicting a religious pilgramage is being exhibited...



...along with other works by Anjolie Ela Menou.



On the main floor, there is a small exhibition of six Pakistani artists who are all alumni of "The Miniature Department" of the National College of Arts in Lahore.



They collaborated through the mail on a series of works...



...and though they are interesting enough...



...the really amazing pieces are by the individual artists working on their own.



Saira Wasim, in particular, delivers an extraordinary punch...



...with her illuminated manuscript illustrations of modern non-mythological monsters such as Cheney and Bush.