Lecture with Alain Thote: “Early Images of Gods, Spirits and Demons in China”
31st Sammy Yukuan Lee Lecture on Chinese Archaeology and Art
Until the fifth century BCE, bronzes, lacquerware and jades in central China were dominated by motifs of animals, both real and imaginary. This lecture by archaeologist and art historian Alain Thote explores the social and religious conditions of Late Bronze Age Chinese artists and how these factors influenced the physical aspects of zoomorphic deities, nature spirits, and demons. Reception to follow. To register, visit https://bit.ly/2NlIpju. Co-presented with the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies.
Alain Thote
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Born in 1949, Alain Thote is archaeologist and art historian. A specialist of Bronze Age China, he is currently teaching as a full professor at the École Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris. He participated in archaeological excavations in France and China. In particular, he joined the Sino-French team of archaeologists in the Taklamakan desert, in Xinjiang (Western China) in 1993, 1994 and 1996. In 2000, he has started a cooperation with Wuhan University and the Archaeological Institute of Henan Province for the digging of a settlement of the Bronze Age in Central China. Beside teaching, from January 2006 to December 2009 he has been director of the Research Centre on Far Eastern Civilizations, Paris. Now he is the director of the French Institute for Chinese Advanced Studies of the Collège de France. In 2009, he has been elected corresponding member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres.
About Sammy Yukuan Lee Lecture Series
First presented in 1982 in celebration of his 80th birthday, the Sammy Yukuan Lee Lectures on Chinese Art and Archaeology honors the life and philanthropy of respected businessman, art collector, and Chinese art authority, Sammy Yukuan Lee. This series is presented annually by the UCLA Center for Chinese Studies with support from the Sammy Yukuan Lee Foundation, and in partnership with the Fowler Museum at UCLA.
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Parking available in UCLA Lot 4, 398 Westwood Plaza, directly off Sunset Blvd | $12/day. Rideshare drop-off 305 Royce Drive..
