How a museum masterpiece’s life-size replica sparked rare US-China collaboration
For anyone who has visited the Chinese galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, there is one work that stops them in their tracks. Stepping into Gallery 206, home to Chinese Buddhist art, visitors are met by a monumental wall – over 15 metres wide and 7.5 metres tall (nearly 50 feet by 25 feet) – covered in a Buddhist assembly so vast and majestic that it momentarily erases the…
Visitors to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Chinese galleries in New York are often drawn to the awe-inspiring Medicine Buddha mural, a 14th-century Yuan dynasty masterpiece. Created by Zhang Jian, director of the Meticulous Painting Institute at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, the mural was recreated through forensic, research-based copying techniques.
The replica, unveiled in Beijing during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to the US, offers insights into future restoration and resplicing of ancient wall paintings at the Met. The three-year project involved Chinese artists and scholars working closely with the Met's staff to recreate every detail of the mural, including cracks, faded lines, and historical scars.
The initiative reflects China's commitment to cultural heritage preservation, with the Chinese National Academy of Arts launching its mural initiative in 2016 and securing funding and support from the China National Arts Fund. The project highlights the ongoing cultural collaboration between the US and China, even as geopolitical tensions persist.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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