Rubin Museum of Art
Bon The Magic Word: is the first exhibition of art to illuminate the Bon, a religious and cultural group living in the Himalayas and Central Asia—a group almost unknown in the Western world...What Is It: Himalayan Art?: Works of art introduced into this rotation of the exhibition What Is It: Himalayan Art? emphasize history. The "Where Is It Made?" section shows the historical movement of styles from India, Kashmir, and Nepal into regions of Tibet and the later influences of Tibetan art in Mongolia and China... A TASTE OF RMA:RMA now offers complimentary guided tours throughout the galleries! Every day (except Tuesday- at 3 p.m.) for a unique journey into Himalayan Art, with new perspectives every week...[more]

Freer and Sackler Galleries
The Etsuko and Joe Price Collection: is regarded as one of the world's finest collections of paintings from Japan's Edo period (1615-1868)... Tales of the Brush Continued: Chinese Paintings With Literary Themes: From the ancient times to the present day, Chinese artists have always turned to literature for inspiration for their paintings and works of calligraphy, and other objects... Arts of the Indian Subcontinent & Himalayas: View and discuss the Freer Gallery's important collection of sculpture, paintings, and drawings created in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, and Tibet... Arts of China: Chinese art has flourished from the Neolithic period into the twenty-first century. Discover the richness and diversity of Chinese art, from ceramics, lacquerware, painting, and calligraphy to ancient bronzes and jades. Meet at the Freer information desk... [more]

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth Century: The core of the museum’s collection of Chinese jades was donated by Avery Brundage (1887–1975), an avid and discerning collector. Brundage formed most of his collection of approximately 1200 pieces between 1935 and 1960... Avery Brundage: The Man, the Collection, the Legacy: Celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Society for Asian Art at this symposium that explores and honors the man whose collection made the Asian Art Museum possible as well as the organization whose determination secured the collection for the city of San Francisco... Japanese Painting Techniques: Contemporary Japanese artist Fumiyo Yoshikawa demonstrates traditional Japanese painting methods like those employed in some of the paintings on view in Drama and Desire... In a New Light: The Asian Art Museum Collection: More than 2500 extraordinary works from the museum’s collection are displayed in the museum’s permanent galleries. Artworks on view include monumental South Asian stone sculptures, luminous Chinese jades, vibrant Korean paintings, mystical Tibetan thangkas, serene Cambodian Buddhas, richly decorated Islamic manuscripts, and subtle Japanese ceramics... [more]

A Bronze Portrait Image of Lo-ras-pa's Disciple
Not every product of a search into the Tibetan literary sources will be of equal interest to the general museum-going public or deserve to figure prominently in museum labels and catalogs. Still, knowledge has consequences even for viewers with the most strictly aesthetic interests. However striking the museum piece, we still want to know how, when, where, why and by whom it was made (in a word, 'provenance'), just as we want to know more about the subject portrayed. Beauty and knowledge dance together, sometimes uncomfortably and awkwardly, but in the end both prevail, perhaps gaining somewhat in the process. Not to push the analogy too far, we might also admit that a lack of knowledge may at times enhance the sense of the beautiful, since sometimes with art objects, as with dance partners, a bit of enigma may form part of the attraction...[more]

The Art and Culture of BÖN
Bön — the Eternal Tradition (Yungdrung Bön) of Central Asia & Tibet, constitutes the indigenous religion existing prior to the introduction of Buddhism. Originating from India, the spiritual founder of the Bönpo is Tönpa Shenrab, a quasi-mythical figure...[more]

Values of the Dalai Lama Inspire UCLA Fowler Museum to Premiere Traveling Exhibition
Eighty-eight contemporary artists from twenty-five countries have contributed artworks for an exhibition inspired by the messages, vision, and values of the Dalai Lama. The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama--on view at the UCLA Fowler Museum from June 11-September 10, 2006-- explores themes of peace, compassion, patience, and tolerance. Participating artists have considered the Dalai Lama in a broad array of new and existing works made in a variety of media expressing their personal interpretations of and reflections on his philosophies and ideals...[more]

Fortune Shines in Atlanta — Oglethorpe University Museum of Art Celebrates Mongolia
The Oglethorpe University Museum of Art in Atlanta is proud to exhibit Portals to Shangri-La: Masterpieces from Buddhist Mongolia, celebrating the 800th anniversary of the founding of the Mongol Empire by Genghis Khan. The exhibition, donated by various American collectors, will run at Oglethorpe University from February 12 through August 6, 2006...[more]

All the Dalai Lamas are in Zurich
The Dalai Lama represents an institution that dates back several centuries and is unique in the world today: it is a reincarnation lineage at the intersection of spirituality and politics. Two exhibitions at the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich examine the lives of the 14 Dalai Lamas who make up the lineage. Although the world learned a lot about Tibet after the rapid and painful opening of the country that followed the Chinese invasion in 1950, much of this information never received widespread attention. The 14th Dalai Lama, Nobel Peace laureate Tenzin Gyatso, symbolizes this situation in all its complexity: he is not only the leader of the Tibetan people but also one of most revered personalities in the world. At the same time he is a monk and a refugee who is blacklisted by the Chinese government whose intransigence has forced him into political activity... [more]

Mongolia Observed
Observed: Photographs Present and Past, an exhibition of 45 stunning large format color and black-and-white photographs, opened on May 6, 2000, in the Akeley Gallery at the American Museum of Natural History. On view through September 4, the images offer visitors a look at contemporary life in Mongolia as well as a glimpse of Mongolian culture in the early 20th century, providing insight into the tenacity of Mongol Culture and the nomad way of life over the past eighty years. The 35 contemporary photographs in the exhibition are the result of five separate expeditions to Mongolia conducted since 1994 by writer, photographer, and naturalist Robert McCracken Peck. Dr. Peck, a fellow of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, traveled throughout the country, seeking out families and individuals who are carrying on their cultural traditions... [more]

Zanabazar's Art Work:

The Chojin Lama Museum — Zanabazar Art Exhibit
Built between 1904 and 1908, this museum was originally a temple for the younger brother of the last Bogd Haan, the political and religious leader of Mongolia. It houses, among other works of art, an impressive collection of masks and costumes formerly used in the religious dances called Tsam...[more]

The Five Dhyani Buddhas: Akshobhya • Vairocana • Ratnasambhava • Amitabha • Amoghasiddhi
According to one source, Zanabazar created the five Dhyani Buddhas in 1683, probably at his workshop and meditation retreat at Tovkhon Khiid. All five of the statues are 28 inches (72cm) high, on a base 18 inches (46 cm) high. The hand position (mudras) and ornamentation differ on each one. Four of the statues are now in the Zanabazar Art Museum; Ratnasambhava is in the The Chojin Lama Museum...[more]

Exhibit Archives:

Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art
The Lost Tibetan Kingdom: This exhibit is drawn from a photographic documentation of a trek into what some anthropologists have called "the last forbidden kingdom". Award-winning photographer Don Gurewitz and his group hiked and rode ponies for a week through the deepest canyon in the world... Bhutanese Sand Mandala: The Jacques Marchais Museum of Tibetan Art was pleased to host three Buddhist monks from Bhutan in celebration of Losar, the Buddhist New Year, from Wednesday, February 9th - Sunday, February 13th... "WAY OF LIFE" Lecture: This lecture by Lama Pema Wangdak will focus on the Buddhist "Way of Life" approach, its very existence and beyond. Lama Pema's teachings are based on Buddhist views, principles, ethics, meditative teachings and practices. The program begins at 2pm. Admission: $10 for Adults and $5 for Children... [more]

Rubin Museum of Art
A Sense of Place: The exhibition’s theme, “a sense of place,” was, for many students, an introduction to the idea of setting. Third- and sixth-grade students at PS 134, The Henrietta Szold School, participated in a five-month program designed to familiarize them with the art of the Himalayas... Building the Collection: This selection of forty-five objects from India, Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Mongolia, and China is evidence of RMA’s dedication to building its collection in all areas of Himalayan art... The Yogis of Tibet: A 77-minute 2002 documentary by Phil and Jo Borack that captures on film some of the last remaining practitioners in Tibet of the once-secret Tantric exercises... [more]

Freer and Sackler Galleries
Facing East: Portraits From Asia: "Facing East: Portraits from Asia," on view July 1 through September 4 at the Smithsonian's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, explores how portraits expressed identity in Asia and the Near East... Arts of the Indian Subcontinent: Tour of the Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and Himalayas in the Freer Gallery of Art... A Taste For Japanese Art : This exhibition celebrating the one hundredth anniversary of Charles Lang Freer's gift of his collection and museum to the United States features a selection of 31 paintings, calligraphy, wood sculpture, lacquer, and ceramics from Freer's Japanese art... Freer and Tea: Raku, Hagi, Karatsu: Curator Louise Cort discusses outstanding examples of three classic tea wares that Charles Lang Freer collected by 1906... [more]

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
The Elegant Gathering: Featuring 80 superb masterworks of Chinese calligraphy and painting carefully drawn together by generations of the fascinating Yeh family—scholars, statesmen, and passionate practitioners of the yaji tradition... Arts of Asia Lecture Series: This lecture series will serve as an introduction to Korean and early Japanese art. Beginning with the arts of Korea, the first eight lectures will cover the Neolithic period dating to 5000 BCE; the arts of the Three Kingdoms period (57 BCE–668 CE); Buddhism; its effects in Korean society as illustrated in Buddhist sculptures, paintings, and ceramics of the Goryeo dynasty (918–1392); Buddhist and secular paintings and ceramics of the Joseon dynasty... Tanjore Painting of India: TRadhika Srinivasan adds a contemporary dimension to traditional Tanjore relief painting of India using gold leaf and inlay of semiprecious stones... Hidden Meanings: By surrounding themselves with such symbols, many Chinese believed that wishes would be fulfilled. This exhibition unlocks the mysteries of these "hidden meanings” and offers a glimpse into the time-honored importance of auspicious symbolism in Chinese culture... [more]

Rubin Museum of Art
HOLY MADNESS: This exhibition surveys the art and legends of some of the most colorful characters in South Asian and Himalayan civilization... • Take to the Sky: The urge to fly has transfixed the imagination with a steady, irresistible charm for millennia. This exhibition presents paintings and sculptures that explore the theme of flying as a spiritual power... • What is it? Himalayan Art: Himalayan art is new terrain for many people. This exhibition is intended to serve as a guide through this exhilarating landscape. It is organized into four sections, each addressing one of the following basic questions about Himalayan art: ...[more]

Freer and Sackler Galleries
Conservation and Scientific Research: Through conservation and scientific research, the department contributes to the overall efforts of the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery to achieve the highest standards for the collection, preservation, study, and exhibition of Asian art. Care of the collections began before the museum came into existence as Charles Lang Freer, the founder of the Freer Gallery of Art, hired Japanese painting restorers to care for his works and to prepare them for their eventual home as part of the Smithsonian Institution... • Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas, Sculpture of South and Southeast Asia: Visitors to the gallery will be able to share in Mr. Freer's enthusiasm when the gallery inaugurates a new long-term installation, showcasing the extraordinary range of South Asian and Himalayan art in the collection—considered to be among the most important in the world... • Sculpture of South and Southeast Asia: A group of 10th- to 13th-century Cambodian stone sculptures complements a display of Hindu stone, bronze, brass, and terra-cotta sculptures from South India dating from the 8th through the 14th century... [more]

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
Elephants on Parade: Highlights include an elaborate silver howdah made for a raja’s use in ceremonial processions, sculptures of caparisoned elephants dating from the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries... In a New Light: More than 2500 extraordinary works from the museum’s collection are displayed in the museum’s permanent galleries. Artworks on view include monumental South Asian stone sculptures, luminous Chinese jades, vibrant Korean paintings, mystical Tibetan thangkas, serene Cambodian Buddhas, richly decorated Islamic manuscripts, and subtle Japanese ceramics... A Curious Affair: The Fascination between East and West: The interaction of Asia and Europe has been one of the great processes of global history and culture. This exhibition takes a light-hearted look at the legacies of this interaction—and of the mutual fascination— between the two regions over the past five centuries... Hidden Meanings: By surrounding themselves with such symbols, many Chinese believed that wishes would be fulfilled. This exhibition unlocks the mysteries of these "hidden meanings” and offers a glimpse into the time-honored importance of auspicious symbolism in Chinese culture... [more]

Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
In a New Light: More than 2500 extraordinary works from the museum’s collection are displayed in the museum’s permanent galleries. Artworks on view include monumental South Asian stone sculptures, luminous Chinese jades, vibrant Korean paintings, mystical Tibetan thangkas, serene Cambodian Buddhas, richly decorated Islamic manuscripts, and subtle Japanese ceramics... A Curious Affair: The Fascination between East and West: The interaction of Asia and Europe has been one of the great processes of global history and culture. This exhibition takes a light-hearted look at the legacies of this interaction—and of the mutual fascination— between the two regions over the past five centuries... Hidden Meanings: By surrounding themselves with such symbols, many Chinese believed that wishes would be fulfilled. This exhibition unlocks the mysteries of these "hidden meanings” and offers a glimpse into the time-honored importance of auspicious symbolism in Chinese culture... [more]

Freer and Sackler Galleries
Teacher Workshop: Freer's Vision: Learn about Charles Lang Freer's vision and the extraordinary collection he offered to the Smithsonian. The workshop includes a special tour of the Freer and information on resources and materials. In the afternoon, participants will attend Bearing Gifts in the Gilded Age, a discussion between Linda Merrill, former curator of American art at the Freer and Ellen P. Conat, an independent scholar of nineteenths century art... • Gold: The Asain Touch: Rare, lustrous and enduring, gold has a deep history in Asia. The earliest evidence of worked gold—translating its natural beauty into human adornment—comes from Mesopotamia in the sixth millennium B.C.E... • Arts of the Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas, Sculpture of South and Southeast Asia: Visitors to the gallery will be able to share in Mr. Freer's enthusiasm when the gallery inaugurates a new long-term installation, showcasing the extraordinary range of South Asian and Himalayan art in the collection—considered to be among the most important in the world...[more]