The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation

Our Story & Missions

Established in 2012 with a generous endowment from The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, the Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation is dedicated to interdisciplinary and trans-cultural research and the preservation of Buddhist cultural heritage. The Centre provides a unique platform for teaching art history and conservation of Buddhist heritage, facilitating interdisciplinary research and fostering international collaborative initiatives, as well as organising conferences, workshops, and public lectures.

Recognising the global significance of the vast cultural heritage of Buddhism in both Asia and in diasporic contexts, this Centre also oversees an innovative MA programme that combines, for the first time, the disciplines of Buddhist art history, its conservation, and Buddhism. Robert Y.C. Ho, chairman of the Ho Foundation, summarised the goals of the MA programme: “Until now, Buddhism and Buddhist art and its conservation have been studied separately. We are delighted to support the integration of these fields in a new programme that will impact not only on academia but also on the preservation of irreplaceable treasures around the world, treasures we see disappearing on a daily basis.”

Begun in 2013 and relaunched in 2022, the MA programme builds upon extensive experience of The ��ý’s Wall Painting Conservation MA programme with long-term projects and teaching in Asia – at sites in China, India, and Bhutan. One such initiative is the collaboration with the Dunhuang Academy in China at the Mogao Grottoes, a World Heritage site in northwest China.

MA Art History and Conservation of Buddhist Heritage

Supported by the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Global, the MA in Art History and Conservation of Buddhist Heritage at ��ý of Art is a one-year programme that focuses on the study, preservation, and appreciation of cultural heritage created for and connected to the beliefs and practices of Buddhism. Unique in its concept, this interdisciplinary course was developed to respond to Buddhist heritage under threat, filling an identified gap in conservation education by equipping students with the theoretical and ethical knowledge and skills to meet the challenges surrounding its study and conservation, and to expand the horizons of traditional art historical training.

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Japanese Studies: Past, Present, Future

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at the ��ý Institute is delighted to announce its 2025–2026 Lecture Series, exploring the many aspects of Japanese studies in the UK and beyond. This year’s series is presented in collaboration with the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures (SISJAC), and the ��ý Institute.

The four lectures hosted at the ��ý Institute will focus on Japanese Buddhist heritage, bringing together diverse perspectives from art history, Buddhist studies, conservation, and curatorial practice. Additional lectures will take place at the partner venues and will also be livestreamed from the RAS and SISJAC, with several events offered online only.

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*Seated figure of the bodhisattva Fugen Enmei*, late 17th-early 18th century, Japan, British Museum.

Past Events

Lecture Research

Japanese Buddhist Art at The British Museum: Collection, Curation, Conservation and Collaboration

6:00pm, 21 Oct 2025

The British Museum holds about 1,000 items of Japanese Buddhist material, ranging from the eighth century to the present day. The majority date from the 18th and 19th centuries, and include sculptures, paintings, portable shrines, and ritual and voti...

Lecture Research

Reflections on the Statue of Tara from Sri Lanka at The British Museum

6:00pm, 7 Oct 2025

The bronze��Statue of Tara��from Sri Lanka is currently displayed in the special exhibition, “Ancient India: Living Heritage” at the British Museum. Donated to the British Museum in 1830 by Sir Robert Brownrigg, this nearly life-size sculpture of Tara��...

Research

Enhancing Research Culture Workshop: Collaborating with Communities

9:30am, 1 Jul 2024

A closed workshop co-organised by Lori Wong (Senior Lecturer in Conservation) and Dr Sujatha Meegama (Senior Lecturer in Art History) as part of The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at The ��ý.

Research

Redisplaying the Buddhist Collection at Chiddingstone Castle

5:30pm, 12 Mar 2024

In this talk, Naomi Collick and Dr. Nick Swann will discuss the processes of research, consultation, and collaboration undertaken by museums like Chiddingstone Castle to redisplay, reframe, and decolonise their Buddhist collections

Research

Collecting and Curating Southeast Asian Art: In Conversation with Alexandra Green and Rosanna Nicolson

5:30pm, 28 Nov 2023

This conversation between the two curators, Alexandra Green and Rosanna Nicolson, celebrates two exhibitions focusing on Southeast Asian art–“Burma to Myanmar” and “Theravada Buddhism”–concurrently showing at The British Museum and at National Museum...

Research

Safeguarding the Past: Conservation and Research of Mural Paintings at the Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang

6:00pm, 6 Oct 2023

Join Dr Bomin Su for an insight into the work undertaken by the Dunhuang

Buddhist Heritage and Conservation in Sri Lanka Lecture Series [Archived]

Arts of the Buddhist World: Heritage and Conservation Lecture Series

Conferences

The Buddhist Art Forum, held in April 2012, was motivated by several factors: admiration for Buddhist art in its many and varied manifestations; concern about how much of this art is being damaged or lost; and a sense that its study, preservation and even presentation often involves peculiar difficulties beyond those normally encountered when dealing with other types of art. This sense was fuelled by the organisers’ direct engagement in the study and conservation of Buddhist art in situ, witnessing the difficulties at first hand and the variety of strongly held attitudes by those involved.

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Early 6th-century wall paintings in Cave 260 of the Mogao Grottoes, Dunhuang (China)

Publications

Wong, Lori, and Sujatha��Arundathi��Meegama.��2023. “An interdisciplinary approach: The MA program in Art History and Conservation of Buddhist Heritage at The��ý.” In��Working Towards a Sustainable Past. ICOM-CC 20th Triennial Conference Preprints, Valencia, 18–22 September 2023, edited by J.��Bridgland. Paris: International Council of Museums.

Park, David,��Kuenga��Wangmo, and Sharon Cather, eds. 2013.��Art of Merit: Studies in Buddhist Art and its Conservation. Proceedings of the Buddhist Art Forum 2012.��London: Archetype Publications.