Amsterdam, Netherlands - Part of the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam`s Asiatic art collection will meet the collection of modern sculptures from the Beelden aan Zee sculpture museum in Scheveningen. Sixty Asian sculptures, most of which are Hindu and Buddhist gods and goddesses from Indonesia, India, Pakistan and China, will enter into dialogue with work by twenty-five 20th century sculptors at the Rijksmuseum aan Zee.
This is bound to produce exciting confrontations between the past and present and between the East and West. This collaboration, entitled Hemelse beelden uit oost en west, or `Heavenly Sculptures from the East and West`, is planned for the Zuidzaal hall of the museum through February 2009.
Pauline Lunsingh Scheurleer, curator of South and Southeast Asian art at the Rijksmuseum, and guest curator Wim Quist, architect of the Beelden aan Zee sculpture museum, selected a number of exceptional pieces from the Asian collection and combined them with the modern sculptures from Beelden aan Zee for the Hemelse beelden uit oost en west exhibition.
Work by Ossip Zadkine (1890-1967, Tete de femme, 1922), Tajiri (1923, Warrior, 1982), Tony van de Vorst (1946, Prinses Maxima, 2004), Eric Claus (1936, Johan Cruijff, 2006) and Eja Siepman van den Berg (1943, Staand Meisje, 1968) will be confronted with Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, gods and goddesses of stone, bronze, metal, gold and silver, including the world famous Shiva, koning van de dansers (South India, 12th century).
Most of these sculptures, from the 6th-19th centuries, were once relics worshipped by the local population.
Visitors to the exhibition are invited to see for themselves and compare how the sculptures, which span so many centuries, countries and materials, relate to one another and – at the same time – how 20th century sculpture is influenced by the Far East. A large portion of the Asian sculptures in the Rijksmuseum are on long-term loan from the Society of Friends of Asian Art (Vereniging van Vrienden der Aziatische Kunst).
In honour of the exhibition, a special series of Asian products was assembled for the gift shop at the Beelden aan Zee sculpture museum, including bronze replicas of Buddha sculptures, bowls, enameled dishes, bags and photo albums.
Source: www.huliq.com (28 Maret 2008)