Buddhism in Asian Art

Celebrate! Where Asia Meets America 

Encountering the Buddha: Art and Practice Across Asia is on view at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art through November 29, 2020.

Drawing on the National Museum of Asian Art's collections from across Asia, the exhibition expands the understanding of Buddhism in Asian art through both beautiful objects and immersive spaces. Visitors can step into a Tibetan Buddhist shrine, travel the Buddhist world with an eighth-century Korean monk, visit a Sri Lankan stupa, meet teachers and guardians, and discover multiple Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Encountering the Buddha illuminates the ways in which art and place embody and express the teachings of Buddhism.

Explore the Buddha in art contained in the National Museum of Asian Art's online collections below, or view all collection images related to Buddhism at the Smithsonian.