Now Showing

Shape & Spirit. This wonderful selection of antique bamboo articles is the first show in the newly unveiled Walter and Mona Lutz Gallery in Denver Art Museum's Ponti building. The Lutzes began collecting bamboo from throughout Japan, where they lived; in the 1960s, they expanded their collecting to include bamboo pieces from the rest of Asia. They collected ahead of the curve, allowing them to find exquisite things in a wide range of categories. There are baskets, of course, but also sculptures and lanterns, fans and brush-pots, trays and tea-ceremony utensils. Curator Ron Otsuka selected 200 items from the Lutz collection, which have been given to the DAM. Through September 19 at the Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway, 720-866-5000, www.denverartmuseum.org.

— Michael Paglia