SAM BERNSTEIN
Curriculum Vitae
Articles by Sam Bernstein:
Arts of Asia Magazine, March 1993, “Taste and Technique: Collecting Chinese Jade”
Orientations Magazine, December 1993, “Neolithic Blades: Feast and Ritual”
Art & Antiques Magazine, April 1994, “Ancient Art of Jade Wins Modern Admirers”
Arts of Asia Magazine, March 1995, “Collecting Song to Ming Jades”
Orientations Magazine, August/September, 1995, “Fishing In The Jade Pond”
The Asian Art Newspaper, November 1997, “The World Jade Market in 1997”
Chinese Jade: Selected Articles from Orientations 1983-1997, “Neolithic Blades: Feast and Ritual”
The Asian Art Newspaper, February 1998, “The Story of the Stone”
Arts of Asia Magazine, September/October 1999, “Five Favorite Pieces”
Arts of Asia Magazine, December/January 2000, “Brilliant Colors: Ancient Chinese Glass”
Orientations Magazine, February 2000, “Is Scientific Testing of Jade the Answer?”
Arts of Asia Magazine, March/April 2001, “Collectors World – Continuing Tradition: Collecting Chinese Jade”
Chinese Art News Magazine, April 2001, “In the Emperor’s Own Words”
Arts of Asia Magazine, November/December 2001 “A Passion for Jade: Heber Bishop and His Magnificent Jade Books” (In Mandarin Chinese).
Arts of Asia Magazine, January/February 2003 “Archaic or Archaistic?”
Arts of Asia Magazine, November/December 2003 “Loving the Stone”
Arts of Asia Magazine, January/February 2005 “In the Emperor’s Own Word, Inscribed Jades of the Qing Court”
Arts of Asia Magazine, November/December 2005 “ Selections from The James R. and Ann A. Peltier Collection of Chinese Jade at Louisiana State University Museum of Art”
Arts of Asia Magazine, March/April 2007 “A Tale of Two Horses”
Arts of Asia Magazine, November/December 2007 “A Most Remarkable Collection”
Arts of Asia Magazine, September/October 2008 “A Passion for White Jade; A San Francisco Story”
Publications by Sam Bernstein:
Chinese Jade From Distant Centuries, 1992
Chinese Art From Distant Centuries, 1993
Ritual and Belief: Chinese Jade and Related Arts, 1994
Collecting Chinese Jade, 1995
Heaven & Earth: Chinese Art from Neolithic to Qing (video), 1996
Editor, The Journal of Chinese Jade, 1996 to present A publication for the connoisseur, collector, and scholar. Online: www.journalofchinesejade.org
Private Passions: Connoisseurship in Collecting Chinese Art, 1998
Ancient Chinese Art, 1999
Collecting Chinese Art, University of Washington Press, 2000
The Emperor’s Jade Suit, My Adventures in the Jade Trade, Orchid Press, 2003
Collecting Chinese Seals, 2006
Chinese Jade the Immortal Stone, 2009
Things Rarely Seen, 2014
The Emperor & The Motorcycle Mechanic, 2017
Works of art handled by S. Bernstein & Co., are in the following museum collections and institutions:
The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, Alabama
Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, New York
Hong Kong Museum of History, Hong Kong
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Greater Victoria Museum of Art, Victoria B.C.
The Margaret & Trammel S. Crow Asian Collection, Dallas, Texas
The Samuel P. Harn Museum, University of Florida, Gainsville, Florida
Louisiana State University Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Northwestern University Collection Evanston, Illinois
Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
The Hall of the History Museum of the Chinese People, Tiananmen Square, Beijing
Seminars Conducted:
January 25, 1997 — Collecting with Confidence: How to Buy and Enjoy Chinese Jade
February 15, 1997 — Recent Archaeological Discoveries in Chinese Jade and Bronze
March 22, 1997 — Detecting Fakes, Frauds and Scams
April 26, 1997 — Collecting and Enjoying Ancient Chinese Metalwork
May 24, 1997 — Identification and Evaluation of Ming & Qing Jades
June 28, 1997 — Managing Your Collection: Security, Insurance and Disposal of Your Collection
February 14, 1998 — Myth, Symbolism & Ritual in Chinese Jade
May 16, 1998 — Collecting Ancient Jades
October 31, 1998 — Scholar’s Taste in Jade Collecting from the Song through Qing Periods
December 5, 1998 — Exploring Great Museum Collections of Chinese Jade
February 13, 1999 — Collecting Ancient Jades, San Francisco
March 27, 1999 — Collecting Ancient Jades, New York
April 17, 1999 — Collecting Ancient Jades, Beijing, PRC
October 30, 1999 — Brilliant Colors: Collecting Chinese Glass, San Francisco
March 25, 2000 — Ancient Chinese Art, New York
November 10, 2000 — The Emperor’s Jade Suit, San Francisco
October 14, 2005 — Trust Your Eye, San Francisco
September 17, 2011 — Collecting Chinese Jade, San Francisco
July 8, 2013 — The Jade Whisperer, San Francisco
Exhibitions:
September 1992 — Chinese Jade From Distant Centuries, San Francisco
April-July 1993 — Chinese Art From Distant Centuries, San Francisco
April-May 1994 Ritual and Belief: Chinese Jade and Related Arts, San Francisco
Oct.-Nov. 1995 The Art of Chinese Jade, San Francisco
June-Sept. 1996 Ocean & River: California Jade Sculpture, San Francisco
Oct.-Dec. 1996 Heaven & Earth: Chinese Jade from Neolithic to Qing, San Francisco
March 2000 Ancient Chinese Art, New York Four Seasons Hotel
Antique Fairs:
October 1993 Exhibitor, San Francisco Fall Antiques Show Sacred Images
October 1994 Exhibitor, San Francisco Fall Antiques Show Chinese Jade: Enduring Images
October 1995 Exhibitor, The International Fine Art & Antiques Show, New York, New York The Art of Chinese Jade
Appraisals:
Appraiser on behalf of the United States of America, National Endowment for the Arts, The Xian Exhibition. Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 1994
Appraiser of Chinese Jade in the Avery Brundage Collection of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, 1995
Appraiser of the Margaret and Trammel S. Crow Asian Collection of Dallas, Texas, 1998
Consultant for Chinese Jade, Louisiana State University Museum of Art, 2004
Numerous museums, private collectors, and government agencies
Special Events:
Taste and Technique: Collecting Chinese Jade, October 29, 1994 An international symposium at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco Co-sponsored by S. Bernstein & Co., The Society for Asian Art and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Presented Lecture: Chinese Jade The American Gemological Society, San Francisco, California September 4, 1996
Panel Moderator of the Symposium: Jade Stone of Heaven Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, September 1996
Presented Lecture: Chinese Jade from Song to Qing The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Anna, California September 21, 1997
Presented Lecture: Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages The Harn Museum, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida November 20, 1997
Presented Lecture: Working Techniques Of Ancient Chinese Jade Marin Mineral Society, Marin, California February 24, 2004 San Francisco Mineral Society, March 4, 2005
Presented Seminar: Trust Your Eye, Collecting Chinese Jade, San Francisco, October 14, 2005
Presented Lecture: Jade the Mysterious Stone, Phoenix Museum of Art, November 6, 2007
Presented lecture: A Most Remarkable Collection Society for Asian Art, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, April 6, 2008
Presented seminar: Jade from the Neolithic to the Present: A Methodology for Jade Appreciation and Collecting, Presented to the Society for Asian Art, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, January 11, 2014
Presented seminar: Jade Collecting in the Glorious Ming Dynasty, Presented for Asia Week San Francisco, Fairmont Hotel, October 1, 2016
Presented lecture: Jades from the Scholar’s Studio For Asia Week San Francisco, Fairmont Hotel, September 30, 2017
Presented lecture: Lunch with The Qianlong Emperor For Asia Week San Francisco, Fairmont Hotel, October 6, 2018
Presented lecture: Auspicious Animals For Asia Week San Francisco, Fairmont Hotel, October 19, 2019
Education and Professional Experience:
2020- Private Dealer and Appraiser specializing in Oriental Art offering innovative Virtual Appraisal Service online with Zoom. S. Bernstein & Co. on line at www.bernsteinjadeart.com
1991-2020: Began S. Bernstein & Co. Jade & Oriental Art An international gallery located in the historic Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, California specializing in museum quality Chinese Jade
1978-1991: Ashkenazie & Co., San Francisco, a leading American jade dealer
1976-78: Vice President, Asia House of Texas, Dallas, Texas
1974: Bachelor of Business Administration, the University of Texas, Austin, Texas