Artifacts Abroad: Southeast Asian Heritage in American and European Museums

A Reflective Tour of Cleveland, Chicago, Denver, and Barcelona

In my previous post, I recounted my experience as the Joukowsky Lecturer for the Archaeological Institute of America, which took me to several cities across the US, including Cleveland, Chicago, and Denver. During this journey, I took the opportunity to visit some of the most renowned museums in these cities: the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Field Museum in Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Denver Art Museum. I was particularly interested in these museums not only because of their global reputation but also due to their collections related to Southeast Asia. Thereafter, I found myself in Barcelona for a vacation over the Songkran break and serendipitously discovered the Museu Etnològic i de Cultures del Món. To my delight, I learned that they too had collections from Southeast Asia.

In this post, I’d like to share share with you a slice of what can be seen in these museums and provoke some thoughts about the role of museums today. I remember my visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art a few years ago, where I was astounded by their Southeast Asian collections. The artifacts were unique and exemplary, quite unlike anything I had seen within Southeast Asia itself.

However, recent events such as the repatriations from the Met and the Art Institute of Chicago, and controversies at the Denver Art Museum, have cast a shadow over these collections due to their unprovenanced nature and associations with looting and unethical collection practices. Many of the artifacts featured in these museums lack good contextual information; some are undoubtedly looted, while others were legitimately acquired.

I encourage you to visit these museums if you can, but if you can't, I will try to link to each museum's collections database so you can explore more. This post aims to not only showcase these fascinating collections but also to engage in the important discourse surrounding their provenance and the role of museums in today's world.

Cleveland Museum of Art

My first stop was the Cleveland Museum of Art, an institution founded in 1913. The museum is renowned for its vast and diverse collection, which includes over 66,500 artworks spanning 6,000 years of artistic achievement. I am grateful to Dr. Sonya Rhie Mace, the curator for South and Southeast Asian Art, for her insightful tour of the collections. Check out the catalogue here.

L-R: Buddha on a Winged Creature with Attendants (700s-800s, Mon Dvaravati style), Sandstone Buddha (600s, probably Si Thep), Flying Hanuman (900s, Koh Ker Style)

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