Splendour of Khmer art

Early photos of Angkor Wat and statues are on display at the Asian Civilisations Museum

Many of the rubbings and plaster casts on display in the exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum are accurate reproductions of artworks that are now ruined.
Many of the rubbings and plaster casts on display in the exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum are accurate reproductions of artworks that are now ruined. ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN
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In 1931, the French government built a life-sized replica of Angkor Wat in Paris to show off its interest in Khmer art and the-then colony of Indochina.

Memorabilia from that exhibition sit alongside mysterious stone statues carefully preserved by the Guimet Museum in Paris and are showcased at the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) in a special exhibition that opened yesterday.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 09, 2018, with the headline Splendour of Khmer art. Subscribe