Last Friday I went to the Rubin Museum of Art to see Himalayan art. I saw a variety of Himalayan art including textiles, sculptures, paintings, ritual objects and prints. All of these objects spanned from the 2nd to the 21st century. My favorite part by far were the textiles, because they used very vivid colors such as a variety of blues and greens. Most of these art pieces were of a religious nature.

Interestingly, the origin of many of these textiles could be discerned by the particular religious portrayal in the textile itself given that most of the different countries in the Himalayas have different religions, like Hinduism or Buddhism. Some of these countries include Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, India and Burma.

The thing that helped me a lot were the automated guides that are available at the front desk. They include storytelling and detailed explanations of the main exhibits. One of the most interesting aspects of this museum is the layout. For example, on the Himalayan Art floor (2nd floor) you have very clearly stated “how, when and where” these pieces were made. Everything is very well organized and structured on every floor, with just enough art and information to get a solid idea of what went on in that time period without overwhelming you with information. I was able to go through all five floors (including the basement which has a very nice photography exhibit about Himalayan native tribes) with relative ease.

After two hours I left very impressed with the information I acquired and I would strongly recommend to anyone visiting this museum to definitely visit the Himalayan Art Exhibit (2nd floor), which was personally my favorite out of the five floors. I can’t end the review without saying a word about the friendly and well mannered staff in the museum’s cafeteria and at the front desk, who went out of their way to make us feel welcome.