MEET THE COLLECTOR
Seeing Stories of the Past through Porcelain
magnifying glass to look at them.
The Meiji Magic: Imperial Porcelain
from Japan Gallery 15 exhibition, being
shown concurrently with Japan and the
Jazz Age, is from the collection of Alex
and Barbara Kasten of Hilton Head. The
nearly 30 porcelains in the exhibition
reflect the Japanese artistic renaissance,
which flowered during the Meiji period
(1868–1912). Recently, Alex Kasten spoke
with us about his life as a collector and the
importance of Meiji art.
Kasten: As a collector, it began with fine
art paintings, watercolors, and oils, etc.
and my wife and I fixated on that at a very
early age. With exploring the publications
and discussions throughout museums and
showrooms, it all started to come together.
One interest led down to where the road
split a bit and as Robert Frost said, I came
to a road at an early age and decided to
take the one that was in need of wear. That
made all the difference.
CMA: How did you become a collector?
CMA: What should our visitors look for to
truly appreciate the pieces in Meiji Magic?
Kasten: When I was very young I lived in
New York City and had access to the great
museums, like the Metropolitan. One of
the things that always fascinated me about
the Met was their collection of porcelains.
There is a great area in that museum
with a range of Japanese to Korean to
Chinese porcelains and for some reason
that resonated with me. And, of course,
there was always an ember burning in me
that was fanned by my exposure to what
is called Meiji art through the offices and
showrooms in New York City of Asian art
dealers.
CMA: Why did you decide to collect Meiji
art?
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Kasten: I have found many times where
upon re-examining a painting I see an
entirely new perspective—literally a
“painting within a painting.” Take the
time to look and study what you see here
in this collection. This collection is a
narrative persuasion of Japanese life during
the Edo period (1603–1867). The magic
of the Meiji is that every ceremony, every
holiday, things as simplistic and ingrained
in Japanese lore as the tea ceremony, is
here on these pieces in fine graphic detail.
Each scene is a story unto its own. Each
piece will have four to 10 narrative scenes
on it and sometimes you have to take a
I would like to take you through this
exhibition and answer any questions you
have, but the reality is you can answer your
own questions. Looking closely at the art,
seeing things you wouldn’t ordinarily see,
will give you knowledge and appreciation
of what someone who lived 150 years
ago laid down in a time, in history, in a
culture, in a country that was closed off
from the world. You can see the answers
there. And that’s what this art today brings
to the world. The average person spends
four seconds looking at each painting in
a gallery. As, the old saying goes, “stop to
smell the roses.”
Kasten will discuss his collection on
Wednesday, January 22, during Out
of the Vault - A Conversation with the
Collector, for Taylor Society members and
above. Morihiko Nakahara will host the
conversation. For more information or
to join the Taylor Society, call Lowndes
Macdonald at 803.343.2172.
This exhibition is supported through
contributions from Ms. Walda Wildman,
CPA.