Asian Art Museum - San Francisco


The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco is divided into seven geographic regions: South Asia; the Persian World and West Asia; Southeast Asia; the Himalayas and the Tibetan Buddhist World; China; Korea; and Japan. Winding through all the galleries are three major themes: the development of Buddhism; trade and cultural exchange; and local beliefs and practices.

This particular museum is one of my favorites within San Francisco. It has been a while since I visited so I thought I would take advantage of their free day, visit a friend and check out the museum. I have always loved Asian art and being able to see the diverse collections within this museum is a real treat.

I took dozens of photos so I will bring you several different posts containing various artworks in several different regions, throughout the next few weeks. In this post I will show you a few
Buddha sculptures. For some of these I do have names and some I do not. Many of these were taken behind glass so you will see reflections in some of these photos.






This is a closeup of Amida, the Seated Buddha - Japan (794-1185)



It is always so difficult to get photos, sans people especially on free days. This is a shot of The Seated Buddha, Amida in the Japan area.

Comments

Ann said…
Very nice. I can relate to the difficulty in getting pictures with all the people around. At the medieval fair every time I was trying to get a shot someone would walk in front of me.
J. M. P. said…
All the museums where I've been to are mainly Occidental, and it's a pity. I'll be following this Asian series!
Those statues are always fascinate me..Wonderful photos even when you have difficulty with people prancing around..
ian said…
given how multicultural San Francisco is, i'm glad that there's a whole museum dedicated to Asian art. does it have something about the Philippines in its Southeast Asian section? i'd be interested to see what artworks are chosen to be representative of our country =]
Duni said…
Oh, how I would love to visit this museum! The more I read about the fabulous places to visit in SF, the more I want to visit :)
Joanne Olivieri said…
Ann, I know what you mean. I was taking a video the other night when two people decided to have a conversation right in front of the camera :D

Josep, I will have more during the following days.

Icy, :) I know, I should really go there during the week in Autumn or Winter when no one is around.

Ian, The Philippines is represented though I did not take names and descriptions of everything I photographed. It was just too chaotic at times. I will go back when there are less people around.

Duni, you should visit someday, we will show you around.
betchai said…
beautiful photos Jo, i know what you mean by difficult to take photos on free days, I go to our museums here on free Tuesdays too, and there are just always a lot of people :( But then, enjoy it whenever it is free :)
DoanLegacy said…
Oh those are fantastic to see! I always wonder why the eyes are always closing..
Bossy Betty said…
These shots are so peaceful. I would love to go to this exhibition.
Joanne Olivieri said…
betchai, absolutely, being free always helps :)

Doan, I think it's because they are meditating. Thanks.

Bossy, It is so cool, I love it there. Thank you.
ruthi said…
WOW... nice photos of Buddha. The last time I took photos of these sacred images was in 1998 when I took a 12-day vacation in Thailand with my friend. It was one of the most amazing vacation escapade that I took.
Rick (Ratty) said…
Great stuff. I like any art, and Asian art is some of the best. I wish there were more places like this where I live, at least some that I know about.

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