Rubin Museum Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room; Photo: Dave De Armas, courtesy Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art

Rubin Museum Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room
June 11, 2025 – April 20, 2031
Members Evening: Thursday, June 26, 7-9pm
200 Eastern Parkway, Arts of Asia Galleries, 2nd Fl

A lamplit sanctuary amid the bustle of Brooklyn—and a refuge in uncertain times—the Rubin Museum Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room is a place to learn, reflect, and seek inspiration. Opening June 11 at the Brooklyn Museum, the installation presents more than 100 artworks and ritual objects as they would be displayed in an elaborate household shrine, where devotees make offerings, pray, and meditate. Scroll paintings (thangkas), sculptures, furniture, and musical instruments dating from the 12th to 20th century are carefully arranged according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Chanted prayers by monks and nuns reflect the ritual practices and remind visitors that Buddhist rituals engage all 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.

More than one million people experienced the Shrine Room when it was exhibited in its original location, the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in Manhattan, from 2013 to 2024. To ensure New York City residents and visitors can continue to enjoy this space, it has been given a new home at the Brooklyn Museum. The immersive installation will welcome guests within the Arts of Asia galleries for six years. A virtual exploration of the Shrine Room will allow visitors worldwide to enjoy this evocative sanctuary from home.

Brooklyn Museum Members and Friends of the Rubin are invited to a special evening celebrating this new installation on June 26. Curators of the Shrine Room and the Arts of Asia galleries will be in attendance to offer insights into the works on view. To register, click here.

To learn more, click here.