Kimbell Art Museum | Buddha, Shiva, Lotus, Dragon: The Mr. And Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection At Asia Society

BUDDHA, SHIVA, LOTUS, DRAGON:
THE MR. AND MRS. JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER 3RD COLLECTION AT ASIA SOCIETY

JUNE 27 - SEPTEMBER 5, 2021
KIMBELL ART MUSEUM | FORT WORTH, TX, USA

Head of Buddha Pakistan, Gandhara area - Kushan period, late 2nd–early 3rd century - Schistose phyllite - Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.2
Photography by Synthescape, courtesy of Asia Society and American Federation of Arts

This exhibition showcases the extraordinary range of bronzes, ceramics and metalwork that John D. Rockefeller 3rd (1906–1978) and his wife, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller (1909–1992), thoughtfully assembled between the 1940s and the 1970s. With highlights including spectacular Chinese vases, dynamic Indian Chola bronzes and exquisite Southeast Asian sculptures, the exhibition reveals great achievements in Asian art spanning more than two millennia.

In addition to investigating themes of Buddhist sculpture, Hindu sculpture and ceramics and metalwork, the show also examines the Rockefellers’ connoisseurship as well as their collecting and exhibition practices in an age when political and economic circumstances informed the reception and availability of Asian artworks in the United States. With an emphasis on beauty, ingenuity and tradition, this exhibition manifests the dynamic ideas and philosophies that animate histories of Asian art and renews the Rockefellers’ vision of promoting a deep understanding of different cultures through experiences with astonishing works of art.

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