Asian Civilisations Museum's present 2,000 years of ancient Buddhist treasures from India

STRAITS TIMES
By Richard Neo

Standing Buddha -- PHOTO: ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM

SINGAPORE---A statuette of Buddha is frozen in mid-step, as though about to descend invisible stairs post-Nirvana. Behind glass panels, stucco Buddha heads appear to be sleeping or are deep in meditation. A giant, mysterious footprint in a corner belongs to no mortal foot. Such peaceful tableaux can be found in the Asian Civilisations Museum's (ACM) latest exhibition, Treasures From Asia's Oldest Museum. It is on till Aug 16. Spanning almost 2,000 years, it showcases 81 pieces of Buddhist art on loan from the Indian Museum, Kolkata, to chart the evolution of Buddhist imagery from the second century BC to the 12th century. [link]