Portland Art Museum Announces Exhibition and Repatriation of Korean Buddhist Painting

ARTDAILY
Korea, unknown artist, Five Buddhas (detail), 1725, ink and mineral pigments on hemp, Songgwangsa Temple; conserved by Robert and Sandra Mattielli.
OREGON---The Portland Art Museum announces an exhibition, symposium, and repatriation of a sacred Korean icon. Five Buddhas: A Korean Icon’s Journey through Time tells the story of a stolen painting—its discovery, restoration, travel to Oregon, and return to the Korean people. Oregonian Robert Mattielli lived in Seoul for three decades, during which time he often visited the cluster of antique shops in Mary’s Alley (Anguk-dong). He purchased a tattered and folded Five Buddhas painting in the early 1970s, a time when many temples were refurbishing their worship halls, and Buddhist paintings often appeared on the market. [link]

Portland Art Museum: "Five Buddhas: A Korean Icon's Journey through Time" (Ends December 4, 2016); 1219 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR; 503-226-2811; portlandartmuseum.org