This photograph taken on April 28, 2025 shows the Bust of Vishnu Anantashayin displayed as part of the "Angkor Royal Bronzes" exhibition at the Guimet Museum in Paris. - AFP
PARIS: The Guimet Museum in Paris, France opened the “Angkor Royal Bronzes: Art of the Divine” exhibition on April 28. The unique display showcases over 200 Khmer artefacts, most notably a four-metre reclining Vishnu bronze statue from the Western Mebon temple.
The exhibition will be open to the public from April 30 to September 8. Phoeurng Sakona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, attended the April 28 opening ceremony.
According to the Guimet, more than 200 sculptures will be displayed, including 126 pieces which are on loan from the National Museum of Cambodia. They will introduce visitors to Khmer heritage and explore the evolution of bronze artistry in Cambodia from the ninth century to the modern era.
“This exhibition explores, for the first time, the role of the king, who commissioned major bronze castings from the Angkorian period to the present day, and reveals how art and power have remained consistently intertwined,” noted the museum.
“The exhibition brings together sculptures, objects and architectural fragments, as well as photographs, casts and graphic documents, arranged within a cultural, archaeological, and historical context,” it added. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
