Asia Society Museum presents Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon
Celebrating 70 Years of Asia Society and the Rockefeller Legacy.
1424) Porcelain painted with underglaze cobalt blue (Jingdezhen ware) H. 18 1/2 x W. 14 3/8 x D. 5 7/8 in. (47 x 36.5 x 25 cm)
Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.160
In celebration of Asia Society’s 70th anniversary, Asia Society Museum presents Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon: Celebrating 70 Years of Asia Society and the Rockefeller Legacy. The exhibition is on view from March 18, 2026, to January 3, 2027.
Displaying seventy of the finest examples of Asian art in the United States drawn from Asia Society’s permanent collection, the exhibition showcases the extraordinary range of bronzes, ceramics, and metalwork thoughtfully assembled between the 1950s and the 1970s by John D. Rockefeller 3rd (1906-1978) and his wife, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller (1909-1992). John D. Rockefeller 3rd founded the Asia Society in 1956 with the mission to promote greater knowledge of Asia in the United States; the bequest of the collection to the Asia Society in 1979 underscores the Rockefellers’ conviction that aesthetic encounters with great works of art promote deep cross-cultural understanding.
With highlights including spectacular Buddhist and Hindu sculptures, and rare Chinese, Korean, and Japanese ceramics, Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon celebrates historic achievements in Asian art spanning more than two millennia. The exhibition foregrounds the transformative power of faith and the catalyzing potential of international trade in the creation of great works of art across Asia.
Gupta period, 6th century Bronze H. 27 x W. 10 3/4 x D. 7 in. (68.6 x 27.3 x 17.8 cm) Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.8 Photography by Synthescape, Digital image © Asia Society
– mid 10th century Copper alloy H. 27 3/4 x W. 17 5/8 x D. 6 1/2 in. (70.5 x 44.8 x 16.5 cm) Asia Society, New York: Gift
of Hope Aldrich, 2024.1 Photograph © Bruce M. White, 2024
The exhibition begins with a selection of Buddhist sculptures, tracing the transmission of Buddhism across Asia over two millennia. The exhibition continues with Hindu sculptures from South and Southeast Asia—largely from the 10th-14th centuries—which form another strength of the collection. The last and largest section of the exhibition showcases metalwork and ceramics from China, Korea, and Japan.
Concurrently on view with Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon are two companion displays. The first features recent acquisitions from the daughters of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd, Hope Aldrich and Sandra Ferry Rockefeller. The display includes eight new acquisitions along with five comparative pieces from the Asia Society Museum’s permanent collection. In addition, five spectacular artworks from the permanent collection, which were received from Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller, will be on display in the Visitors Center.
Asia Society Museum presents a wide range of pre-modern, modern, and contemporary exhibitions of Asian art and Asian diaspora art, taking new critical approaches to familiar masterpieces and introducing under-recognized arts and artists. The Asia Society Museum Collection comprises a pre-modern art collection, including the initial bequests of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd, and a modern and contemporary art collection, launched in 2007. Through exhibitions and public programs, Asia Society provides a forum for the issues and viewpoints reflected in Asian and Asian diaspora art, culture, and society.
Find out more at AsiaSociety.org/NY. Connect with us on Instagram @AsiaSociety, TikTok @Asia.Society, Facebook, and X @AsiaSocietyNY.
