Asia Society’s Gandharan Buddhist Art Exhibition originally slated to open in March finally re-scheduled to open on August 9! Jane Perlez describes the drama in her New York Times article, and talks about the importance of the collection and the problems that arose due to the breakdown in American-Pakistani relations in recent months.
“The early August opening of the show was guaranteed only when two planes loaded with the precious cargo, one from Lahore, the other from Karachi, landed in New York last week. The chances that Americans can go to Pakistan to see Gandhara art — either in the museums or at open-air archaeological sites around Peshawarc, the northwest city where the civilization was centered — are very slim, Ms. Chiu said, making her feel all the luckier to have gotten the works here for the show’s three-month run.” – Perlez
Read her whole article for yourself here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/arts/design/asia-society-show-on-buddhist-art-from-pakistan-is-to-open.html?_r=1&ref=arts
Update: The Asia Society has posted their official announcement for the opening of the exhibit, entitled “The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan: Art of Gandhara.” The collection will be shown from August 9, 2011 – October 30, 2011 and will feature pieces ranging from the first century B.C.E. through the fifth century C.E. For more information see: http://asiasociety.org/arts/asia-society-museum/future-exhibitions/buddhist-heritage-pakistan-art-gandhara
Kristen R.
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