Installation view of Boundless: Stories of Asian Art at Seattle Asian Art Museum, 2026, photo: Alborz Kamalizad | Vajradhara with Eighty-Five Great Adepts (Mahasiddhas); Western Tibet; 15th century; Pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation; F1998.17.3 | Photo by M5 Photography

Sharing a Legacy: The Rubin Collection at Seattle Asian Art Museum
Summer 2026

The Rubin’s collection is on the move! As part of their collection sharing program, which aims to expand access to Himalayan art to other museums through long-term loans and traveling exhibitions, a selection of 13 Rubin objects are now on view at the Seattle Asian Art Museum (SAAM) through 2031 as part of their permanent collection exhibition Boundless: Stories of Asian Art.

This addition of Rubin objects enhances the SAAM’s important collection of Asian art and enables the museum to convey a richer narrative of Asia by including Tibetan and Mongolian art.

Moving away from the chronological and geographic organization of most museums, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art groups objects across 12 themes to tell stories about Asia in a nonlinear narrative. The loan consists of Rubin collection objects made in Tibetan, Chinese, and Mongolian regions, including several paintings (thangkas), as well as a sculpture, illuminated manuscript, woodblock print, and headdress, all chosen by Rubin Senior Curator Karl Debreczeny in collaboration with FOONG Ping.

Sharing the Rubin’s collection and curatorial expertise is a central component of the Rubin’s decentralized, global model. In 2026 the Rubin’s collection sharing program includes long-term partnerships with the Brooklyn Museum, Lehigh University Art Galleries, Worcester Museum of Art, McMullen Museum of Art, Oglethorpe University Museum of Art, and Allen Memorial Art Museum.

To learn more about this partnership, click here.