A crash course in nirvana ‘Buddhist Art of Myanmar’ at the Asia Society Museum

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Lee Lawrence
Parinibbana(c. 1198) from Kubyauknge Temple, Myinkaba village. Photo: Bagan Archaeological Museum/Photo: Sean Dungan
NEW YORK---The Asia Society has long been involved in Myanmar’s political opening through forums, policy recommendations and such public gestures as conferring its 2011 Global Vision Award on Aung San Suu Kyi, a symbol of peaceful political change. By organizing “Buddhist Art of Myanmar” around themes—The Image of the Buddha in Myanmar, Lives of the Buddha, Ritual and Devotion—the show mixes periods and places, making it not so much an art-historical overview as a rich and satisfying sampling. [link]