About a thousand years ago, a colossal bronze of the Hindu god Vishnu lay on a temple island in the middle of a vast reservoir at Angkor. Now the surviving sculpture is in San Francisco. Vishnu's Cosmic Ocean opened Oct. 23 at the Asian Art Museum and runs through Jan. 25, 2027, in the Osher Foundation Gallery.
The museum says the work, buried for centuries and rediscovered in 1936, is the largest ancient bronze ever found in Southeast Asia, nearly 20 feet long when complete. It is on loan from the National Museum of Cambodia and is the centerpiece of the museum's first special exhibition devoted only to Cambodian art. The museum says it is the only West Coast venue before the statue goes home.
Water and power
Curator Natasha Reichle says the show is about more than one sculpture: it traces how Angkor's rulers tied the story of Vishnu sleeping on a cosmic ocean to the canals and reservoirs that sustained the kingdom. Recent research found evidence the bronze was once gilded, according to the museum.
Admission
SFGuide notes the exhibition is included with general admission. See our Asian Art Museum guide for hours and free days.