From its earliest days, the Old Jail Art Center has had Asian art in its collection. The mothers of the museum's co-founders, Reilly Nail and Bill Bomar, collected Asian art. At the time of the museum's founding, the late Jewel Nail Bomar's collection of ancient Chinese tomb figures was in her son's hands, and he contributed it to the initial collection of the museum. Nail persuaded his mother, Wyldon Burgess Harrold, to give pieces from her collection of more recent artifacts. Through the years, others have enriched the collection with their gifts, including co-founders Bomar and Nail. Today, the collection comprises Chinese ceramics from the Han through Qing dynasties as well as an assortment of Japanese prints and ceramics and a few works from other cultures.
Excerpt from an essay by Jennifer Casler-Price, Curator for Asian and Non-Western Art, Kimbell Art Museum.
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