CAMBODIA
exhibition on cambodian royal bronzes at the Musée guimet, paris
NOSTOS Strategies was invited to attend the formal pre-opening of the exhibition “Angkor Royal Bronzes: Art of the Divine” at the Musée Guimet, in Paris.
H.E. Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia, and H.E. Thani Mohamed Soilihi, Minister Delegate for Francophonie and International Partnerships of France, each delivered remarks during the event.
Featuring over 200 bronze pieces—including 126 on loan from the National Museum of Cambodia—the exhibition guides visitors through key Khmer heritage sites, tracing the evolution of bronze art in Cambodia from the 9th century to the present day.
The highlight of this exhibition was the Reclining Vishnu from West Mebon, an 11th century statue that originally measured over five metres, which was found in a temple in western Angkor. Following scientific analysis and restoration work carried out in France in 2024—with support from ALIPH (the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas)—this Cambodian national treasure was presented for the first time featuring its newly restored fragments.
Among the loans on display, several sculptures were linked to notorious art dealer Douglas Latchford and recently returned to Cambodia by the Ministry’s restitution team. They are on loan to the Musée Guimet from the National Museum of Cambodia, granted by the Royal Government.
Curation:
Pierre Baptiste, director of conservation and collections at Guimet, curator of the Southeast Asia section
Brice Vincent, senior lecturer at Ecole française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO)
David Bourgarit, research engineer, French centre for museum research and restoration (C2RMF)
Thierry Zéphir, research engineer in charge of Himalayan collections at Guimet
