Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
The Art Institute of Chicago is home to a remarkable yet often overlooked collection of Khmer art—sculptures and architectural fragments that once adorned the monumental temples of the Khmer Empire (9th–15th centuries CE), an area that encompassed large parts of mainland Southeast Asia.
These sacred and royal objects, with their connections to gods, temples, and kings, reveal the rich religious, political, and artistic settings from which they emerged, while ongoing provenance research continues to shed new light on their histories and journeys to this museum.
Hear from researcher Nicolas Revire to explore the hidden stories behind select works of Khmer art.
The Art Institute of Chicago is home to a remarkable yet often overlooked collection of Khmer art—sculptures and architectural fragments that once adorned the monumental temples of the Khmer Empire (9th–15th centuries CE), an area that encompassed large parts of mainland Southeast Asia.
These sacred and royal objects, with their connections to gods, temples, and kings, reveal the rich religious, political, and artistic settings from which they emerged, while ongoing provenance research continues to shed new light on their histories and journeys to this museum.
Hear from researcher Nicolas Revire to explore the hidden stories behind select works of Khmer art.
