With its noble and unyielding aim of overseeing, maintaining, conserving, restoring, and imparting a wealth of knowledge to the public in art and culture, the Fine Arts Department has grown continually, with greater accomplishments over time.

On the Occasion of His Holiness Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatayana, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand’s 96th Birthday Anniversary, the Fine Arts Department has organised a special commemorative exhibition, “The Important Buddha Statues in the National Museums” (“พระพุทธรูปสำคัญในพิพิธภัณฑสถานแห่งชาติ”) at the Siwamokhaphiman Hall, The National Museum. The eighty-one magnificent Buddha statues include displays of old Buddha statues of the first generation of Buddha images found in Thailand that came along with the trade coming to Southeast Asia. These images date from about 800 – 1,700 years ago.

The Buddha images reflect religious beliefs and different aesthetics of each era and are displayed to show the development of Buddha images in Thailand. The Buddha statues shown in this exhibition were chosen from national museums across the country, such as from Chainatmuni National Museum, Sawankha Woranayok National Museum, and Chiang Saen National Museum.

Recognising the importance of this special exhibition of the National Museum, The Siam Society is delighted to organise a half-day trip to the Bangkok National Museum on Saturday, 22 July 2023 from 09:00 to 12:00. Visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy some of the never-seen-before statues from the museums’ collections. The trip will be led by Mrs Somlak Charoenpot, Vice President and Honorary Secretary of The Siam Society.

The group is asked to meet at the entrance of the Bangkok National Museum at 08:45 to begin the tour at 09:00 sharp.