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More than twenty years in the making, ARTS OF ANCIENT VIET NAM: FROM RIVER PLAIN TO OPEN SEA is the first U.S. exhibition to offer an in-depth look at precolonial [...]

The article previews the art exhibition "Celestial Realms: The Art of Nepal from California Collections," which will feature 44 works from 7th to 19th century Nepal, to be held at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California, from October 20, 2012 through February 10, 2013.

The article offers information on the exhibition titled "Arts of Ancient Vietnam: From River Plain to Open Sea," to be held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston,Texas from January 3, 2010 and then at the Asia Society Museum, Manhattan, New York City from February 2 to May 2, 2010.

The article discusses the ancient civilization of the people of Champa, a coastal area of southern Vietnam. From the 5th to the early 19th centuries they were concentrated in river basins reaching inland to the mountains. Stone temples dating variously from the 1st to the 5th century are found in the region and contain Sanskrit inscriptions in Indian script. The temples are identified as Hindu. It notes that Hindu worship is individual rather than congregational, thus the interior of a Hindu temple is small and is referred to as a womb chamber, which is found in the Champa sites. The Champa temples contain elaborately carved pedestals upon which rest an image. The combination, it notes, is unlike anything found in temples in India. It speculates on the possible meaning of this.

The article examines the gold art objects discovered in Butuan, Philippines that are now part of the exhibition "Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms" at the Asia Society Museum in New York City. Topics discussed include the nature of ancient gold jewellery production in the Philippines and the role of the Philippines in early international trade.