Doris Duke - The Southeast Asian Art Collection

by Nancy Tingley

In the 1950s and 1960s, Doris Duke was one of the few Western collectors pursuing Thai artworks, and in 1961 she established the Foundation for Southeast Asian Art and Culture to increase Western recognition and appreciation of these works. By 1964 Miss Duke had acquired roughly 2,000 diverse pieces of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century art primarily from Thailand, Burma, and Laos, ranging from textiles, household furnishings, and jewelry to teak houses and massive statues. She began to display her collection in 1972 at Duke Farms, her large New Jersey estate, and she continued to travel and collect widely in Southeast Asia throughout that decade.

Most of the work found in SEAAC is from Thailand, and Doris Duke strongly believed in the preservation of Thai art as a reflection of the people and culture from which it emerged. She worked for much of her life toward finding an effective way to share her knowledge and enthusiasm. Doris Duke: The Southeast Asian Art Collection honors her wish to bring greater public and scholarly attention to the excellent works she gathered. In addition, this beautiful book acknowledges the collection as an impressive whole before its dispersion to several major museums.

Genres: Art

104 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Asian languages and history are not easy for me. Nevertheless, this erudite study of Miss Duke's collection satisfied my interest without making me feel like I had to pass a test when I finished the book. Periods of Thai history are illustrated in texts stored in carved ivory cases, rendered in layers of lacquer on wooden cabinets, furniture and paper scrolls. The images are superb. Tingley's description of the fabrication and religious themes provide excellent knowledge without gravity. The artistry is exquisite and can be studied in detail in this handsomely produced volume before it was sold to various museums in the United States and three museums in Britain. Tingley is a very gifted scholar who provides a perfect description of Thai religious images, lacquer, glass and ceramic techniques. She does a very good job explaining the objects Duke was passionate about. Duke provides us with one of the greatest collections of Thai art in the world. I'm grateful that her wealth enabled her to teach following generations of this exquisite, sophisticated culture.

[Nikko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a superb short and gorgeous book. While it is worth a look specifically for the contents of the Duke Collection, this also serves as a highly accessible overview of the art history and techniques of Thai and Burmese art. It filled in a bunch of holes in my knowledge. Thy other reviewers did not rate it highly is beyond me.