Exhibition on cave paintings of Dunhuang, China

Exhibition

"Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China's Silk Road"
Getty Center
Los Angeles
May 7 - September 4, 2016

Organized in collaboration with the Dunhuang Academy and the
Dunhuang Foundation Exhibition will feature rare objects found at
the famous Mogao caves site, along with full-scale replicas of three
of Mogao's most exquisite cave temples Presenting Sponsor: The
Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Lead Corporate Sponsor: East West
Bank Lead Sponsor: The Henry Luce Foundation

In May 2016 the Getty will introduce visitors to the spectacular
Mogao caves, an ancient Silk Road site dating from the 4th to 14th
centuries.  Visitors will explore the tremendous significance of the
diverse art and artifacts from this UNESCO World Heritage site, and
learn about the challenges faced in its preservation.  Replicas of
three of the nearly 500 decorated Buddhist cave temples that survive
today will allow visitors to experience what it is like to visit the
site.

Organized by the Getty Conservation Institute (GCI), the Getty
Research Institute (GRI), the Dunhuang Academy, and the Dunhuang
Foundation, Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on China's Silk
Road celebrates the over 25 years of collaboration between the GCI
and the Dunhuang Academy to conserve and protect this World Heritage
site.

    "This exhibition is the product of years of hard work and
    cooperation between the Getty Conservation Institute and their
    partners in Dunhuang to conserve the extraordinary legacy of the
    Mogao caves, arguably the most important and beautiful pictorial
    evidence of the transmission of Buddhism along the Silk Road,"
    says Jim Cuno, President and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust.

With their exquisite wall paintings and sculptures, the Mogao caves
bear witness to the intense religious, artistic, and cultural
exchanges along the Silk Road, the trade route linking East and
West.  Three full-size cave replicas, hand painted by artists at the
Dunhuang Academy, will be installed on the Getty Center's plaza,
allowing visitors to experience the cave temples for themselves and
to learn about their conservation.

The Dunhuang Academy is delighted to be partnering with the Getty
Conservation Institute, the Getty Research Institute, and the
Dunhuang Foundation in this major exhibition, the first
comprehensive display in the United States on the ancient cave
temples of Mogao," says Wang Xudong, director of the Dunhuang
Academy.  "Since 1989 the Dunhuang Academy and the Getty
Conservation Institute have worked together on the conservation and
management of the site and in so doing have forged an enduring bond
of friendship.  Not only will the exhibition bring to the American
public the artistic beauty of this World Heritage Site but it will
serve also as a model for international collaborations."

The exhibition will continue in the GRI galleries, with art and
objects from the site that reflect the diverse ideas, beliefs, and
artistic styles found in the cave temples.  The exhibition will
include paintings on silk, textiles, drawings, and manuscripts on
loan from the British Museum, the British Library, the Musee Guimet,
and the Bibliotheque nationale of France-objects that have rarely,
if ever, traveled to the United States.  Also on view will be rare
books and maps from the GRI's Special Collections.

Among the objects to be exhibited is the Diamond Sutra (a sacred
Mahayana Buddhist text) that dates to the year 868.  Coming to the
Getty on a loan agreed in principle with the British Library, the
Diamond Sutra is the world's oldest dated complete printed book.  It
was found in Cave 17, also known as the Library Cave, where some
50,000 objects, sealed up for a millennium, were discovered in 1900.

The Getty will present a slate of public programs, performances,
lectures and tours related to the exhibition.  The Getty has also
partnered with departments at the University of California, Los
Angeles to offer a major, international scholarly symposium in May
2016.  Details will be announced later this year.

An exhibition catalogue titled Cave Temples of Dunhuang: Buddhist
Art on China's Silk Road will be published, and a revised edition of
Cave Temples of Mogao: Art and History on the Silk Road will be
released as well.

For more information about the exhibition, visit

    <URL:http://www.getty.edu/cavetemples>

The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation
<URL:http://www.rhfamilyfoundation.org>

is the Presenting Sponsor of the exhibition.

    "The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation is proud to be part of
    this unique presentation, which reflects our core mission to
    expand knowledge of Buddhism and Chinese culture as well as
    facilitate mutual understanding between East and West," says Ted
    Lipman, Chief Executive Officer of The Robert H.N. Ho Family
    Foundation.  "Through the dedicated efforts of an international
    team of academics, conservators and other specialists, The Getty
    has developed an unprecedented opportunity for audiences outside
    China to experience the wonders of Dunhuang, which served as the
    meeting ground for great cultures and ideas for more than a
    millennium."

Lead Corporate Sponsor for the exhibition is East West Bank
<URL:https://www.eastwestbank.com>

    "East West Bank is pleased to support this extraordinary
    collaboration between the Getty and Dunhuang Academy to restore
    one of the world's great cultural treasures," says Dominic Ng,
    Chairman and CEO of East West Bank.  "Now the public has the
    rare opportunity to see these stunning artworks from the Silk
    Road, including the famous Diamond Sutra, a relic of immense
    historical significance.  We are proud to serve as the cultural
    and financial bridge between the East and West, a relationship
    that will continue to grow in importance for years to come."

Lead Sponsor for the exhibition is The Henry Luce Foundation
<URL:http://www.hluce.org>.

Alexandria Sivak
Senior Communications Specialist
J. Paul Getty Trust
310-440-6473
Mobile: 480-239-4324


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 29:9
                  Distributed: Thursday, July 23, 2015
                        Message Id: cdl-29-9-009
                                  ***