National Museum of Korea: Masterpieces of Early Buddhist Sculpture, 100BCE-700CE

Seoul, September 25 – November 15, 2015, http://www.museum.go.kr

The temporary exhibition of Early Buddhist Sculpture was very welcoming and easy to navigate. It was just the right size to spend between half an hour (running through) to two hours (taking careful looks). It was logically structured along a simple narrative from early origins of Buddhism in India and its spread through China to Korea and Japan. It served very well as an introduction to the topic, but I am sure there was enough exhibits of interest for the more knowledgeable as well.

An interesting point was the number of different museums that cooperated on the show by loaning works, ranging from the British Museum to diverse museums all across the region covered by the exhibition. I only missed the National Palace Museum on the list, which I was reminded of by this exhibition as it was there that I saw the last exhibition of Buddhist sculpture (focusing on China) comparable to this. But I guess in this point politics had to yield to noble art historical aims. Still, overall, it still was the transregional focus and balance selection that set this exhibition apart.