The collection of the Museum of Asian Art has a long history, having been built up over a period of almost 50 years. The first item on record is a bronze Buddha head from Chiengsen period (1400-1550 AD), Thailand, given to the museum by Kun Krassri Nimanamhasminda in 1954. This contribution marked the beginning of the Universiti Malaya Art Museum at that time based in the university’s campus in Singapore.

The Buddha head was thus acquired several years before the Universiti Malaya campus was established in Kuala Lumpur in 1962. At that time a section of the university library was used to ...