Himalayan Art Up Close
We are pleased to present our video series Himalayan Art Up Close, a collaboration with Smarthistory, providing an “up-close” look at objects from the collection and offering more accessible pathways to understand the layers of history and iconography in Himalayan art and the ideas embedded within them. The series has recently expanded to 23 episodes that introduce the living traditions and art-making practices of the greater Himalayan region through close looking at art and conversations with Rubin curators.
Among the newly featured works are a sculpture of the Hindu goddess Kashmira; a painting that illustrates the Kalachakra Tantra; a 19th-century pilgrimage map of the sacred mountain Mt. Wutai; and a richly decorated Tibetan or Mongolian saddle.
To take a closer look, click here.
NOW OPEN
Chakrasamvara with Consort Vajravarahi (detail); Kham region, eastern Tibet; 19th century; Pigments on cloth; 33 x 23 in.; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; Gift of the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation; F1997.7.2 (HAR 99)
Gateway to Himalayan Art
February 21 – July 5, 2026
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon
Our exhibition Gateway to Himalayan Art continues its national tour of university museums, opening at the University of Oregon this winter!
The exhibition is part of the Museum’s educational initiative Project Himalayan Art which is designed to support the inclusion of Himalayan, Tibetan, and Inner Asian art and cultures in undergraduate teaching on Asia. Featuring up to 80 objects from the Rubin’s collection, the exhibition acquaints professors, students, and local visitors with the fundamental visual language and meanings of Himalayan art and offers tools to understand Buddhist concepts and artistic techniques.
The exhibition’s three areas of focus are Symbols and Meanings, Materials and Technologies, and Living Practices. Traditional scroll paintings (thangkas), sculptures in various media, and ritual items comprise the diverse range of objects on view. Among the featured installations are in-depth displays that explain the process of Nepalese lost-wax metal casting and the stages of Tibetan thangka painting. Multimedia features include videos of art making and religious and cultural practices, audio recordings of voices from Himalayan communities that highlight the living traditions, and much more on the integrated digital platform that offers rich contextual material to dive deeper.
To learn more, click here.
ONGOING EXHIBITION
Installation view, About a Living Culture at Diversity Plaza, Jackson Heights, NYC. Photo by Nicholas Knight, courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art
About a Living Culture
September 6, 2025 – September 13, 2026
Diversity Plaza, Jackson Heights, NYC
Nepalese artist IMAGINE (a.k.a Sneha Shrestha) presents a new temporary public art installation that celebrates and takes inspiration from the diverse Himalayan cultures of the Jackson Heights, Queens, neighborhood.
For her first public art sculpture, IMAGINE is creating an installation in the shape of an arch made of repeating rows of ‘Ka,’ the first letter of the Nepali alphabet. In Nepal, religious and sacred environments feature variations in the form of archways, which encourage passersby to look through and get blessings from the divine. IMAGINE’s sculpture will invite the public to interact and experience a meditation and “send” it out to the universe as they embark upon their pathways through Diversity Plaza.
From Kathmandu, Nepal, and working between Boston and Kathmandu, IMAGINE creates public murals around the world that often incorporate her native language while meshing the aesthetics of Sanskrit scriptures with a graffiti art style. She has shown her meditative artworks, including sculptures, in several museums including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, where her work was featured as part of Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now.
About a Living Culture is a NYC DOT Art Community Commission in partnership with the Rubin. Community Commissions is a signature NYC DOT Art initiative in which the agency collaborates with community-based organizations to commission artists to design and install temporary public art on NYC DOT infrastructure citywide.
To learn more, click here.
LONG-TERM INSTALLATION
Installation view. Photo by Dave De Armas, courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art
Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room at the Brooklyn Museum
June 11, 2025 – April 20, 2031
Since its debut in 2013, the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room has been one of the Rubin Museum’s most popular installations, providing an immersive experience inspired by a traditional shrine. Now the Shrine Room travels to Brooklyn where it is on view for six years in the Brooklyn Museum’s Arts of Asia galleries as part of a multiyear collaboration.
The Rubin Museum Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room presents more than 100 artworks and ritual objects as they would be displayed in an elaborate Tibetan Buddhist household shrine—a space used for devotional prayer, offerings, and rituals. Scroll paintings (thangkas), sculptures, ritual implements, and musical instruments dating from the 12th to 21st century are arranged on traditional Tibetan furniture according to their use in Tibetan Buddhist practices. Chanted prayers by monks and nuns, flickering butter lamps, and the subtle smell of incense reflect the cultural practices and remind visitors that Buddhist rituals engage all of the senses. The design incorporates elements of Tibetan architecture and the color schemes of traditional Tibetan homes, offering visitors the opportunity to experience Tibetan religious art in its cultural context.
To learn more, click here.
CURRENT SPIRAL ISSUE
Spiral Magazine Wrath Issue
This year’s issue of Spiral magazine is now available. With 15 new articles, the issue explores the concept of wrath through a Buddhist perspective—not as a negative emotion like rage or anger, but rather as an energy wielded with intention, skill, and compassion to offer protection or remove obstacles. Articles, interviews, and art from Buddhist practitioners, scholars of Buddhism and Hinduism, artists, activists, and more offer insights into the wisdom of wrath and its transformative power. The articles are complemented by illustrations, some newly commissioned, to further amplify and visualize the theme.
To explore the issue, click here.
PODCAST
Mindfulness Meditation Podcast
Practice the art of attention in this weekly meditation series. Each episode is inspired by an artwork from the Museum’s collection, led by a prominent meditation teacher, and framed around a monthly theme. The sessions are for beginners and skilled meditators alike and include an opening talk and a 20-minute guided meditation. Join us as we learn to quiet the mind, open the heart, and engage with the world more consciously.
To learn more, click here.
PROJECTS
Project Himalayan Art
Publication, Traveling Exhibition, and Digital Platform
Project Himalayan Art is an interdisciplinary resource for learning about Himalayan, Tibetan, and Inner Asian art and cultures. This three part-initiative is designed to support the inclusion of these cultures into undergraduate teaching on Asia and presents Himalayan art to the general public. The project focuses on cross-cultural exchange with Tibet at the center and Buddhism as the thread that connects the diverse cultural regions.
To learn more, click here.
Rubin Art Prize
The vision of the Rubin Museum Himalayan Art Prize is to support and celebrate the dynamic dialogue between Himalayan art and contemporary life, ensuring that the rich cultural heritage of the Himalayan region continues to inspire and resonate globally.
To learn about the 2025 Rubin Art Prize recipient, Khadhok–Tibetan Artists’ Collective, click here.
Mandala Lab in Your Classroom
Mandala Lab in Your Classroom is a free program available to 3rd to 12th-grade teachers in New York City schools that aims to cultivate emotional awareness and compassion in the classroom through Himalayan art and its insights. Lessons taught by experienced Rubin teaching artists intertwine artmaking activities, engagement with objects from the Museum’s collection of Himalayan art, mindfulness techniques, and interdisciplinary and tactile learning to help students develop critical life skills.
To learn more, click here.
Grants
The Rubin supports artists, creatives, and scholars in the field of Himalayan art with an annual grant program that aims to expand awareness and understanding of Himalayan art globally.
To learn more, click here.
Our Collection
The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art’s preeminent collection of nearly 4,000 objects spans more than 1,500 years to the present day. Included are artworks of exceptional quality and historical significance from the Tibetan Plateau, with examples from Northern Indian, Nepalese, Bhutanese, Mongolian, and Chinese culturally related areas. The collection consists primarily of scroll paintings (thangkas and paubhas) and sculptures, as well as masks, textiles, illuminated manuscripts, religious implements, and other objects from these regions.
To learn more and view our collection highlights, click here.
