Comments (0) Best Museum Exhibition (Fine Art Division) - 2012
Reflections of the Buddha
3716 Washington Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108
314-754-1850
Contemplative serenity was made manifest in this exquisite collection of perfectly appointed Buddhist artifacts, spanning centuries of sacred tradition and cultural history. Curated by Francesca Herndon-Consagra, the exhibit operated like an expertly played piano sonata: Every individual (visual) note rang crisp, the mind and gaze were compelled in unexpected directions, and the concerted whole resolved as a deep and resonant chord. In the Pulitzer building, which Tadao Ando designed with Zen principles in mind, the sculpted, carved and bejeweled icons, intricate handwoven tapestries and delicately inked scrolls glimmered with modest luminosity — spectacular yet mysteriously interior at once. To tour the space was to find its long corridors, expansive halls and luminous reflecting pool transformed, having moved back in time from a contemporary, minimalist vision to an ancient and warmly devotional one.
