About

  • OUR HISTORY & MISSION Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. is a fine art gallery that is devoted to showcasing modern and...

    OUR HISTORY & MISSION

    Dai Ichi Arts, Ltd. is a fine art gallery that is devoted to showcasing modern and contemporary Japanese ceramics. Since our beginning in 1989, we have been focused on highlighting museum-quality Japanese ceramics to the contemporary art scene in New York City. The gallery has introduced pieces to the permanent collections of several major museums including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Indianapolis Art Museum, The Princeton University Art Museum, and many more. 

     

    Our mission is to bring the timeless grace of modern classics, 20th and 21st century Japanese ceramics, to the world by providing leading expertise to collectors, working with established & emerging artists, and showcasing inspiring exhibitions. We strive towards compassionate and bespoke services to our clientele which includes connoisseurs, collectors, curators, interior designers, and more. We work to connect an international audience to the heart of museum-quality Japanese ceramics & ceramic art. 

     

    PRIVATE SALES 

    We regularly help clients build their collections of modern & contemporary ceramics with bespoke art sourcing. Our aim is to provide services best suited to your needs. We have more works available for sale than published on our site, and therefore welcome inquiries about works or artists that you may be interested in but have not seen available for sale on our site. We welcome you to contact us with your interest or for more information.

     

    FOR CURATORS

    We offer a wide range of sourcing services suited for Museum and institution curators who are working within a specific criteria. We encourage curators to contact us for more information regarding artwork availability, collections, special offers, and more. 

     

  • President & Director, Beatrice Lei Chang

    President & Director

    Beatrice Lei Chang

    Beatrice Chang is a leading expert on Japanese and Chinese ceramic works who has introduced pieces to the collections of about twenty museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Chicago Art Institute, Minneapolis Museum of Art, Portland Museum of Art, and San Diego Art Museum. Chang continues to be an authority in the field and advises a variety of clients, from the curious passerby to the life-long collector. 

     

    Following her studies at Fudan University in her hometown of Shanghai, Chang received an American master’s degree and an Asian Art course certificate from Sotheby’s. In 1989 Chang joined Gallery Zero, which was the first gallery to introduce contemporary Japanese ceramics to New York City. Chang co-authored the book Fired with Passion: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics(2006), which was received well by the ceramic community. On behalf of Dai Ichi Arts, Chang co-organized the exhibition Breaking the Mold: Contemporary Chinese and Japanese Ceramic Sculpture (2009) with the Dennos Museum Center in Michigan. Fluent in English, Chinese, and Japanese, Chang has lectured on both Chinese and Japanese ceramic work at universities in China and museums in the United States. As a Chinese-born expert on contemporary Japanese ceramics, Chang has often made fruitful “detours” to her homeland when traveling to Japan. Like with contemporary Japanese ceramics, Chang has sought to educate and ignite a love for Chinese ceramics in New York and elsewhere.  

     

    As the director and owner of Dai Ichi Arts, Chang has traveled extensively and established meaningful relationships with Japanese ceramic artists. Chang’s contribution to this field is praised in a letter from Jacques Chirac, at the time the president of France and a self–proclaimed Ambassador to Asia, in which he says “Je vous en remercie très particulièrement” (March 25, 2003).