Gateway to Himalayan Art

Gateway to Himalayan Art introduces the main forms, concepts, meanings, and religious traditions of Himalayan art with objects from the collection of the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, New York. Covering the greater Himalayan region, which encompasses Indian, Nepalese, Bhutanese, and Tibetan cultures as well as interrelated Mongolian and Chinese traditions, Gateway to Himalayan Art invites exploration of these diverse cultural spheres through exemplary objects presented in three thematic sections: Symbols and Meanings, Materials and Technologies, and Living Practices. It also includes voices from Himalayan artists and contemporaries, along with connections to related digital content to learn more. The exhibition features 66 objects dating from the 13th Century to 2025, including sculptures, Tibetan scroll paintings (thangkas), ritual implements, medical instruments, and instructional paintings, as well as a stupa and prayer wheel. Special installations detail the process of Nepalese lost-wax metal casting and the stages of creating a thangka. A Tibetan shrine cabinet presents how these objects would be displayed in a traditional household shrine. This traveling exhibition is organized and provided by the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art and curated by Senior Curator of Himalayan Art Elena Pakhoutova. Gateway to Himalayan Art is an integral component of the Rubin Museum's Project Himalayan Art, a three-part initiative that also includes the publication Himalayan Art in 108 Objects and a digital platform. Together they provide introductory resources for learning about and teaching Himalayan art. Gateway to Himalayan Art is presented in conjunction with We Are Connected: Highlights from the USC Pacific Asia Museum Himalayan Collection Project Himalayan Art has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-253379-OMS-23. The publication Himalayan Art in 108 Objects was supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Major support for Gateway to Himalayan Art is provided by the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this initiative, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Leadership support is provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Lead support is provided by the Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation, Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Noah P. Dorsky, Fred Eychaner, Christopher J. Fussner, the Estate of Lisina M. Hoch, Matt and Ann Nimetz, The Randleigh Foundation Trust, Shelley and Donald Rubin, Jesse Smith and Annice Kenan, and Anne and Albert Chao. Major support is provided by Daphne Hoch Cunningham and John Cunningham, Stephen and Sharon Davies, the Edward & Elizabeth Gardner Foundation, Janet Gardner, Mimi Gardner Gates, Hongwei Li, Max Meehan, the Monimos Foundation, Edward O'Neill, The Prospect Hill Foundation, Sarah and Craig Richardson, Rossi & Rossi, the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation, Namita and Arun Saraf, Eric and Alexandra Schoenberg, Eileen Caulfield Schwab, UOVO, Sandy Song Yan, and the Zhiguan Museum of Art.