7 October 2007 – 31 December 2008

The image of God in East Asia

Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism take center stage in the upcoming exhibition »The Image of God in East-Asia« at the Langen Foundation this fall: From October 7, 2007 to April 27, 2008 sculptures of deities in bronze and stone from the collection of Viktor and Marianne Langen will be presented at the Tadao Ando designed building.The selection from the private collection focuses on works of art from India, Cambodia and Thailand.

When Viktor and Marianne Langen first started collecting art, it was traditional Japanese art and the so-called Classical Modern Art. Only when they traveled to India in 1959, a lifelong passion for the imagery of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism began to emerge.The exhibition »The Image of God in East-Asia« now highlights works of art from these three religions deriving from the Indian subcontinent.

Previously shown at the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum in Cologne (2005–2006 with the title »Buddists – Jains – Hindus. In Search of the Image of God«) the exhibition at the Langen Foundation reveals the significance and impact of divine images of the three religions.The director of the Langen Foundation, Dr. Chrysanthi Kotrouzinis explains the concept of this latest presentation: »By selecting some of the most prominent works from the collection, the new exhibition provides a more intimate connection with the exhibits.« Almost 45 sculptures of deities in bronze and stone will be on show at the Langen Foundation.They are likenesses of the historical personages of Buddha and Mahavira – the founding fathers of Buddhism and Jainism – in addition to religious representations of Hindu decent.

The show concentrates on the centuries spanning main currents of Indian religion in their quest for an image of god, which have developed and changed over the last two millennia.The powers of modification, transformation and adaptation of religious art to a changing geographical, historical and ethnical landscape allow a glimpse on how art and religion have shaped culture and society throughout Asia.While they were being influential and being influenced at the same time, the religions expressed their beliefs through likenesses that impress with their serene aesthetic qualities.The exhibition also provides a sense of understanding between cultures and religions that are not that far from »founder« religions like Christianity and Islam. »The idea of a cross cultural understanding that was at the heart of Viktor and Marianne Langen’s collection is what still drives us today,« says Kotrouzinis about the work of the Langen Foundation revealed through the »The Image of God in East-Asia« show.

Address

Langen Foundation (Neuss)
Raketenstation Hombroich 1
41472 Neuss
phone +49 2182 5 70 10
http://www.langenfoundation.de

Opening Hours

Daily 10 a.m. - 6 p.m..

Description of the Museum

This collection comprises about five hundred works of Japanese art and around three hundred works of modern Western art. The collection of Japanese works is in size and quality unique in Europe and is representative for Japanese art from the 12th to the 20th century. The collection of modern art contains works by important artists including Cézanne, Beckmann, Warhol, Rothko, Dubuffet, Bacon and Polke.

opened in 2004; architect: Tadao Ando

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