|
ASIA SOCIETY PRESENTS IMAGES OF THE DIVINE: SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN SCULPTURE FROM THE MR. AND MRS. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER 3rd COLLECTION
July 1 through January 8, 2006
Parvati
India, Tamil Nadu; Chola Period
Early 11 th Century, Copper Alloy
The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art. |
The Asia Society and Museum presents an exhibition of stunning Hindu and Buddhist sculptures from South and Southeast Asia, drawn from the Asia Society’s renowned Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art. The more than fifty works included in the exhibition highlight the ties within these two regions which date back at least as far as the 1st to 3rd centuries B.C.E. when Indian traders and missionaries from India and Sri Lanka introduced Hinduism and Buddhism to Indonesia, Thailand, Burma and Cambodia. These religious beliefs and their associated imagery are embodied in unique ways in the carved stone and cast metal sculptures of these geographically diverse areas. Highlighted works include an exquisitely carved 2nd- to 3rd-century head of the Buddha from Gandhara 7th-century imagery of Vishnu from Bihar, a spectacular 8th-century Bodhisattva Maitreya from Thailand and a powerful 12th–13th century image of Vajrasattva from East Java. The exhibition is curated by Adriana Proser, Curator of Traditional Asian Art, Asia Society.
The exhibition includes a section on Buddhas examining variant forms of the Buddha, including the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, and Vajrasattva, the supreme Buddha in Esoteric Buddhism. The exhibition compares the imagery
Bodhisattva
Nepal; early period, 13th century; gilt copper with inlays of semiprecious stones;
The Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection of Asian Art. |
of the Crowned Buddha Shakyamuni from India, Cambodia and Thailand. Similarly sculpture of Bodhisattvas, particularly Manjushri, Maitreya, and Avalokiteshvara from various geographic areas demonstrate stylistic similarities and distinctions unique to particular areas of Asia, such as the use of inlay for Buddhist sculpture in Nepal and Tibet. A section on Hindu Gods and Goddesses compares examples of the forms of Shiva, Vishnu and Durga that craftsmen produced in South and Southeast Asia.
Founded in 1956 by John D. Rockefeller 3rd, the Asia Society is an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening relationships and deepening understanding among the peoples of Asia and the United States. The Asia Society presents a wide range of public programs, including major arts exhibitions, performances, lectures, international conferences, and K-12 educational initiatives about Asia. Headquartered in New York City, the organization has regional centers in the U.S. in Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Regional Centers in Asia include Hong Kong, Manila, Melbourne, and Shanghai.
Asia Society
725 Park Avenue (at 70 th Street), New York City
The Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Friday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Closed Monday. General admission is $10, seniors $7, students $5 and free for members and persons under 16. Free admission Fridays, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
###
|
