Asia in the Museum collections
The Far East and its cultures, imbued with the spirit of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism, exert a powerful attraction on our Western world, so marked by technology and immediate pragmatism, precisely because of the spiritual dimension that these cultures emphasize. Characterized by a delicate and suggestive aesthetic that induces serenity and focus, they offer positive values that, especially in times of major cultural reappraisals like ours, can be both useful and beneficial.
A spirituality, present in daily temple offerings, in children's initiation rites, or in the conception and representation of nature and human existence, also serves as the driving force behind the creation of objects that we today call artistic, but which were often created as an act of faith, as an image of the divine, or to exalt the beliefs of the faithful.
Asian art at Montserrat, though uncommon, forms an increasingly extensive and varied collection. A century ago, Asian art at Montserrat consisted only of a couple of pieces acquired by Fr. Abbot Marcet during his travels to the Philippines. The rest has been the result of various donations that have arrived at Montserrat under different circumstances.
Modal title
Modal text