The Courtauld Institute of Art

The Foundation sponsored The Courtauld Institute of Art’s Buddhist Art Forum, which addressed philosophical issues relating to Buddhism and art in a holistic way. The Forum comprised four overarching themes: definition; creation and function; conservation; and the role of Buddhist art in the contemporary world. The four-day conference helped raise awareness and understanding of issues and developments beyond regional and specialist boundaries, bringing together monastics, artists, art historians, archaeologists, conservators, curators and officials for in-depth discussion.

Proceedings of the forum were later published in Art of Merit: Studies in Buddhist Art and Its Conservation. The book encompasses 28 papers that consider Buddhist art from the earliest Indian stupas to contemporary Himalayan thangkas, its ritual use and audience, tourist consumption in expanding economies, often ill-conceived conservation efforts, and the influence of Buddhist art on modern and contemporary art.