February 2011
Media Contact:
Leslie Denk, Director of Public Affairs
626-844-6941; [email protected]
Where Art Meets Science:
Ancient Sculpture from the Hindu-Buddhist World
April 22–August 1, 2011
Pasadena, CA—The Norton Simon Museum presents Where Art Meets Science:
Ancient Sculpture from the Hindu-Buddhist World, a small exhibition that examines
the connoisseurship and conservation involved in identifying and preserving
ancient Asian sculpture. A collaboration between the Museum’s assistant curator,
Melody Rod-ari, and its conservator, John Griswold, the exhibition features nine
works primarily of Cambodian origin from the Norton Simon collections.
Before ancient objects enter a museum collection, they often travel great
distances and endure periods of use, disuse, loss and rediscovery. Over the course
of time, they may serve varying functions to vastly different communities of
people. Their original meanings and the evidence of their intended use can
Goddess
become lost or obscured. Where Art Meets Science explores how the trained eye
Cambodia
Angkor period, Baphuon style,
and scholarship of the art historian together with the scientific evidence gained
c. 1050–1100
Sandstone, 28-1/2 in. (72.4 cm)
through technical examination and analysis by conservators and conservation
Norton Simon Art Foundation,
scientists can uncover the history of an object. Details such as the rendering of
M.1980.17.S
drapery pleats, hairstyles and ornaments can reveal clues to the sculpture’s date
and place of origin, as well as later modifications. Similarly, analytical methods can help identify
traces of pigments, binders and applied organic materials.
Several of the objects featured in Where Art Meets Science are normally not on view at the Museum.
These works include study objects from India, Thailand, Cambodia and Afghanistan. In their
fragmented condition, these works do not exemplify the rich artistic traditions of their place of
production, but as objects of study they are incredibly important to our understanding of the artistic
process and stylistic evolution of Hindu and Buddhist imagery in ancient Asia.
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Where Art Meets Science: Ancient Sculpture from the Hindu-Buddhist World is on view in the Museum’s
small rotating exhibitions gallery on the main level from April 22 through August 1. It is organized in
conjunction with Gods of Angkor: Bronzes from the National Museum of Cambodia, on view February 22
through August 14 at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center. Programming for Where Art
Meets Science includes the following free lecture:
Ancient Forms, Modern Copies: The Limits of Connoisseurship
Dr. Donald Stadtner, author of Ancient Pagan and Sacred Sites of Burma
Saturday, April 23, 4:00 p.m.
Museums, art historians and collectors are forever dealing with the problem of modern copies of
ancient works of art. Such copies, once displayed and published as authentic, then become standards
by which other objects are judged and thereby risk gravely misrepresenting the art-historical record.
This illustrated lecture focuses on the complex issue of forgeries by examining workshops in India
and Southeast Asia that produce artworks in “ancient styles.” Dr. Stadtner also discusses the ways in
which enthusiasts and collectors of Asian art can spot modern copies.
About the Norton Simon Museum
The Norton Simon Museum is known around the world as one of the most remarkable private art
collections ever assembled. Over a 30-year period, industrialist Norton Simon (1907–1993) amassed
an astonishing collection of European art from the Renaissance to the 20th century, and a stellar
collection of South and Southeast Asian art spanning 2,000 years. Modern and Contemporary Art
from Europe and the United States, acquired by the former Pasadena Art Museum, also occupies an
important place in the Museum’s collections. The Museum houses more than 12,000 objects,
roughly 1,000 of which are on view in the galleries and gardens. Two temporary exhibition spaces
feature rotating installations of artworks not on permanent display.
Location: The Norton Simon Museum is located at 411 West Colorado Blvd. at Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena, California, at the
intersection of the Foothill (210) and Ventura (134) freeways. For general Museum information, please call (626) 449-6840 or visit
www.nortonsimon.org. Hours: The Museum is open every day except Tuesday, from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and 12:00 p.m. to 9:00
p.m. on Friday. Admission: General admission is $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for seniors. Members, students with I.D., and patrons age
18 and under are admitted free of charge. Admission is free for everyone on the first Friday of every month from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
All public programs, unless stated otherwise, are free. The Museum is wheelchair accessible. Parking: Parking is free and no
reservations are necessary. Public Transportation: The City of Pasadena provides a shuttle bus to transport passengers through the
Pasadena Playhouse district, the Lake Avenue shopping district and Old Pasadena. A shuttle stop is located in front of the Museum.
Please visit www.cityofpasadena.net/artsbus for schedules. The MTA bus line #180/181 stops in front of the Museum. The Memorial
Park Station on the MTA Gold Line, the closest Metro Rail station to the Museum, is located at 125 East Holly Street at Arroyo
Parkway. Please visit www.metro.net for schedules.
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