Asia Society Museum in New York is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a major exhibition, Buddha and Shiva, Lotus and Dragon: Celebrating 70 Years of Asia Society and the Rockefeller Legacy. The show opens on 18 March 2026 and runs until 3 January 2027.
Bringing together seventy masterpieces from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition highlights the extraordinary range of Asian art assembled by John D. Rockefeller 3rd and his wife Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller between the 1950s and 1970s. Their collection, bequeathed to Asia Society in 1979, reflects a conviction that art can foster deep cross-cultural understanding.
Visitors will encounter spectacular Buddhist and Hindu sculptures alongside rare ceramics and metalwork from China, Korea and Japan. The exhibition traces the spread of Buddhism across Asia, showcases Hindu works from South and Southeast Asia dating from the 10th to 14th centuries, and culminates with striking examples of East Asian craftsmanship.
Curated by Xiaohan Du, John H. Foster Assistant Curator of Pre-Modern Art, the exhibition was originally conceived in collaboration with the American Federation of Arts. It underscores how faith and international trade shaped artistic traditions across two millennia.
Two companion displays will run alongside the main show. One features recent acquisitions donated by Rockefeller daughters Hope Aldrich and Sandra Ferry Rockefeller, while another presents works gifted by Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller, displayed in the Visitors Center.
Goddess. Late 11th-early 12th century. Asia Society, New York: Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection, 1979.38
Asia Society Museum continues to present a wide spectrum of pre-modern, modern and contemporary Asian art, including works from the Asian diaspora. Through exhibitions and public programmes, it provides a forum for exploring the cultural and social issues reflected in these artistic traditions.
This anniversary exhibition not only honours the Rockefellers’ legacy but also reaffirms Asia Society’s founding mission: to deepen American understanding of Asia through the transformative power of art.
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