The seventh Forbes Symposium on Scientific Research in the Field of Asian Art will focus on technical studies of Asian art. The symposium, organized by the National Museum of Asian Art’s Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, will be held in the Meyer Auditorium from June 9 to June 11, 2023.

Scientific Research in the Field of Asian Art is a series of symposia to highlight recent scientific and technical studies of the arts of Asia. In addition to serving as a means for disseminating research results, the symposia provide a forum for discussion and interaction among an international group of researchers.

The first Forbes Symposium was held in 2001, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Freer Gallery’s initial pursuit of scientific endeavors, to survey the state of scientific research in Asian art. Subsequent symposia have focused on such topics as the pictorial and sculptural arts of Asia and historic Asian ceramics. Links to proceedings that are available for purchase are listed below.

The series is supported by the Edward W. Forbes Fund. This bequest to the Freer Gallery was made by John Thacher in honor of his former colleague, Edward Waldo Forbes, a past director of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard University and an early proponent of applying technical examination to the study of art.