National Museum Reopens Silpa Bhirasri Legacy Exhibition
The National Museum Silpa Bhirasri Memorial has reopened for two months, showcasing the legacy of the Italian-born sculptor who founded modern Thai art education and shaped the country's artistic heritage alongside Bangkok's history.
BANGKOK — Art lovers and history buffs have a limited window to explore the legacy of Silpa Bhirasri, widely regarded as the father of modern Thai art, as the National Museum Silpa Bhirasri Memorial has reopened to the public for two months.
The museum is hosting a special exhibition tracing the development of art alongside the history of Bangkok's Rattanakosin era through the works and ideas of Bhirasri, an Italian-born sculptor who became a major figure in Thailand's modern art movement. Visitors can explore his artistic legacy while learning about the evolution of Thai art and its connection to the country's history. The reopening also offers a chance to experience a historic art space that had been closed to visitors for a period.
Born Corrado Feroci in Florence, Italy, in 1892, Bhirasri came to Thailand to work in government service during the reign of King Rama VI. He later became a key figure in the development of formal art education in Thailand. He founded and taught at the School of Fine Arts, which was later elevated to Silpakorn University, where he became the first dean of its Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts.
As part of the special opening, the Fine Arts Department is allowing visitors to enter the Hall of Sculpture, offering a rare opportunity to see original sculpture models and learn about traditional casting and metalworking processes.
The hall showcases works by master sculptors who worked with the Fine Arts Department, particularly pieces associated with Bhirasri. Many of the models were created as the basis for national monuments, royal statues, Buddhist images and other major sculptures across Thailand.
Among the works on display are the model for Phra Si Sakkaya Thotsaphonlayan, the principal Buddha image at Phutthamonthon, as well as models of statues of King Narai, King Chulalongkorn, King Prajadhipok and King Ananda Mahidol. The collection also includes a model of Thao Suranari, the celebrated monument in Nakhon Ratchasima, sculpted by Bhirasri in 1934.
The National Museum Silpa Bhirasri Memorial and Hall of Sculpture are open 09:00–16:00, Wednesday to Sunday, through 20 September 2026. Admission is free. For visitors looking to explore Bangkok beyond its better-known temples and museums, the two-month reopening offers a chance to step into an important chapter of Thailand's artistic history at no cost.
