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Embodying Enlightenment Featured Image Padmapani

Embodying Enlightenment: Buddhist Art of the Himalayas

Dates: September 11, 2015–January 3, 2016

This exhibition will take the viewer through the evolution of Himalayan artistic styles from the 8th century through the present.

From gilded statues of deities, to complex and colorful paintings of religious figures, the objects in the exhibit explore how trade, travel, and the evolution of Buddhism helped foster a strong artistic tradition that continues today.

Exploring the rich history of Himalayan style art in a chronological fashion, the Tibetan bronzes and paintings featured will progressively lead the viewer through the major stylistic developments that took place and provide an introduction to the techniques used to produce these works as well as to the complex religious iconography depicted in them.


Curated by Walter Arader, PhD candidate in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies at the University of Oxford, and by Jeff Watt, the founding curator of the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City and the current director of Himalayan Art Resources. Embodying Enlightenment is presented by Arader Galleries, Ready for the World, Acupuncture & Awareness Center, Prasad Hutter, and the Aletha & Clayton Brodine Museum Fund.

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