What are the opening hours?

Thursday 10am - 11am 11am - 5pm Friday 11am - 10pm Saturday 11am - 5pm Sunday 11am - 5pm

Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art

Home
United States
New York, NY
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art

The Rubin is a global museum dedicated to presenting Himalayan art and its insights
(2231)

The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art is an arts oasis and cultural hub in New York City’s vibrant Chelsea neighborhood that inspires visitors to make powerful connections between contemporary life and the art and ideas of the Himalayas, India, and neighboring regions. With a diverse array of thought-provoking exhibitions and programs—including films, concerts, and on-stage conversations—the Rubin provides immersive experiences that encourage personal discoveries and spark new ways of seeing the world. Emphasizing cross-cultural connections, the Rubin is a space to contemplate the big questions that extend across history and span human cultures.

10/13/2026

Look closely at this sculptural portrait of Jikme Lingpa (1729–1798), an influential Tibetan Buddhist teacher and scholar.

Seated on a cushion in the clothing of a Tibetan layperson, Jikme Lingpa is depicted with a slightly askew posture, a lined face, prominent ears, a goatee, and hair gathered into a topknot. These lifelike details suggest that the sculpture may have been created during his lifetime or by someone who knew him personally.

Jikme Lingpa was a celebrated figure in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, known for his visionary experiences and for revealing sacred teachings that remain influential today.

Today marks Jikme Lingpa's parinirvana anniversary. In Tibetan Buddhism, parinirvana refers to the passing of an enlightened master, marking their complete liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering.

Who is a teacher or mentor who has made a lasting impact on your life?

_______
Jikme Lingpa (1729–1798); Tibet; 18th–19th century; metal alloy; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2002.29.2

10/11/2026

In recognition of International Day of the Girl, we’re looking closely at "Girl Herder" (2006) by Tibetan artist Dedron (b. 1976).

Dedron’s paintings focus on the beauty of nature and the changing traditional Tibetan life and environment. She often depicts women and animals, using a warm, natural color palette with tones of Tibetan butter milk tea and cooler colors of sacred mani stones.

In "Girl Herder," a girl wearing a customary sheepskin garment raises her arms as she herds sheep and yak. A Tibetan antelope, an endangered species, runs in the distance, while traditional houses, rolling hills, and stylized clouds fill the landscape. Across the painting, graffiti-like dotted forms evoke rock carvings found throughout Tibet—some ancient and some contemporary—which collectively represent traces of life in this environment.

The girl has no nose or mouth, but prominent eyes. Dedron worked at an orphanage where she introduced blind children to color through touch. The experience led her to emphasize her characters’ eyes, a defining element in her paintings.

At the center of this richly layered landscape, the girl becomes a powerful presence within Dedron’s reflections on nature, Tibetan culture, and change.

_______
Girl Herder; Lhasa, Tibet; 2006; Mixed media on canvas; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; SC2009.2

10/09/2026

Opening next week: "Gateway to Himalayan Art" at the USC Pacific Asia Museum! 👀

Installation is underway in Pasadena as teams from the Rubin and USC PAM work together to prepare the galleries for opening day on October 17.

From hanging paintings and positioning sculptures to assembling the exhibition’s lost-wax casting display, the installation team is putting the final pieces in place.

Swipe for a behind-the-scenes look at the exhibition taking shape.

📍 USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, California
🗓️ October 17, 2026–January 10, 2027

Learn more: https://rubinmuseum.org/exhibitions/gateway-to-himalayan-art-traveling/

📸: Tiffany Miller; Sung-Hee Son

10/08/2026

Kathleen Hanna—punk singer, writer, and frontwoman of the bands Bikini Kill and Le Tigre—hosts AWAKEN Season 6: Wrath.

Across the season, Kathleen guides conversations exploring wrath as a fierce, protective, and transformative force—and what it can teach us about compassion and meaningful action.

Season 6 premieres October 27. Learn more: https://rubinmuseum.org/kathleen-hanna-hosts-season-6-of-the-rubins-awaken-podcast/

10/07/2026

When we’re feeling anxious or uncertain, how can we distinguish realistic concerns from exaggerated worries and see things more clearly?

Ahead of , practice the art of attention with the Rubin’s Mindfulness Meditation podcast. Throughout September, each meditation explored clarity through an artwork from the Rubin’s collection.

The final September meditation, led by Elaine Retholtz, was inspired by White Manjushri (slide 1), a bodhisattva and deity embodying the wisdom of all awakened beings. Manjushri is often shown holding a flaming sword, symbolizing the ability to cut through illusion and discern truth. In this peaceful depiction, he holds a lotus, a sacred symbol in Tibetan Buddhism associated with purity, awakening, transformation, and compassion. His luminous white form invites us to reflect on how we can cultivate greater clarity in our own lives.

🎧 New episodes every Friday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or at https://rubinmuseum.org/spiral/mindfulness-meditation/
_____
1. White Manjushri; Tibet; 19th century; Pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin; C2006.66.30
2. Medicine Buddha Palace (Copy of first painting from the set of the Tibetan Medical Paintings from Mentsikhang Lhasa); Rebgong county, Qinghai Province, China; 2012-2013; Pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; SC2013.6
3. Incense Burner; Kham Province, Eastern Tibet (possibly Derge area); 15th century; Damascened iron; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2005.16.67a-b
4. Tsongkhapa (1357-1419); Tibet; 16th century; Silver, copper, and enamel with semiprecious stones and pigments; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation; F1997.31.19

10/06/2026

Opening October 8 at the 國立故宮博物院南部院區 Southern Branch of National Palace Museum , “Crossing the Himalayas: An Artistic Odyssey” explores the Himalayas as a cultural crossroads.

The Rubin is the exhibition’s largest lender, with 42 artworks from the Museum’s collection on view. One of the exhibition highlights is Four Mandalas of the Vajravali Cycle, an exquisite 15th-century thangka (scroll painting). A Tibetan inscription written in gold identifies it as the 13th painting in a 14-painting set illustrating the Vajravali cycle, a compendium of esoteric teachings compiled in 11th-century India and widely transmitted in Tibet. Only six paintings from the set are known to survive today.

Ngor monastic histories record that six itinerant Newar artists from the Kathmandu Valley, including the famous artist Wangguli, created the paintings at Ngor Monastery. This thangka represents the culmination of Newar artisanship in southern-central Tibet.

See this exceptionally well-preserved thangka in person as part of “Crossing the Himalayas: An Artistic Odyssey,” on view through April 6, 2027.

原本應有 14 幅的《金剛鬘》組畫，
現在，全世界已知僅存 6 幅。
其中一幅，10 月 8 日即將在故宮南院閃亮亮登場！

〈《金剛鬘》組畫之四曼荼羅〉是魯賓藝術博物館（Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art）藏品中保存最完整、文獻記錄最詳實的作品之一。畫面精密繪製四座曼荼羅，頂端的金泥藏文題記，顯示它屬於《金剛鬘》十四幅組畫中的第十三幅。

這幅精美的唐卡有一段真實流傳下來的故事：
十五世紀，西藏薩迦派俄寺創建者俄欽．貢噶桑波，為圓滿上師的遺願而委託製作這組畫。俄欽傳記曾記載，就在他想畫《金剛鬘》的時候，有六位來自加德滿都谷地的紐瓦爾畫師竟然不約而同地前來參與繪製，彷彿受到了召喚。數百年後，這段記錄竟能與留存的實物相互印證。濃郁且吸睛的紅色主調、蓮花柱拱廊和細密精緻的金色卷草紋，是這群紐瓦爾大師在西藏留下的頂峰之作。

以豐富的喜瑪拉雅藝術收藏而聞名的魯賓藝術博物館，是本展最大借展方，這次出借了42件珍貴館藏。10月8日起，在故宮南院S101展廳，一起細看這件跨越數百年、至今仍光彩奪目的唐卡！

「 #穿越喜瑪拉雅：從恆河到雪域的藝術行旅」
2026.10.08－2027.04.06｜故宮南院 S101 展廳

______
Four Mandalas of the Vajravali Cycle; Ewam Choden Monastery, Tsang region, central Tibet; 1429-1456; pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2007.6.1

10/01/2026

What can wrath teach us about compassion, protection, and meaningful action?

Hosted by Kathleen Hanna, AWAKEN Season 6 explores wrath as a fierce, protective, and transformative force through conversations with artists, writers, activists, Buddhist teachers, and others, alongside Buddhist and Hindu artworks from Rubin’s collection.

Also heard in the trailer, in order of appearance: meditation pioneer, mindfulness and lovingkindness teacher, and author Sharon Salzberg; author and emergent strategist adrienne maree brown; activist, documentary filmmaker, lawyer, educator, and faith leader Valarie Kaur; and author, professor, and philosopher Myisha Cherry.

Episode 1 premieres October 27.

09/30/2026

Calling all NYC educators! 🍎

Take a mindful pause from the hustle and bustle of the classroom and spend a day exploring connection, creativity, and compassion-based learning inspired by Buddhist teachings with the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art.

📆 November 3, 2026
🕓 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
📍 140 West 17th Street, NYC
🎟️ FREE

Discover ways to bring the Rubin’s Mandala Lab Resources for Educators into your classroom, reflect on approaches to creating a compassion-centered school environment, and explore mindfulness practices for students and teachers.

Your free ticket includes:
• A Social, Emotional, and Ethical (SEE) Learning® presentation led by a certified SEE Learning® facilitator
• A mindful movement workshop in partnership with GROOVE NYC
• A behind-the-scenes look at the Rubin’s Mandala Lab
• An experiential art workshop including SEE Learning® principles
• A mindfulness meditation session for beginners and skilled meditators alike
• Curriculum resources for teachers
• Complimentary refreshments

Reserve your free ticket now: https://rubinmuseum.org/professional-development-workshop-for-teachers-5

Questions? Please contact [email protected].

📸: Dustin Lin (slide 1), Christine Butler (slides 2-5)

09/29/2026

Coming this fall: AWAKEN Season 6: Wrath, hosted by Kathleen Hanna. 🔥

This season explores wrath as a powerful force for awakening, transformation, and meaningful action.

Listen to the Season 6 trailer now wherever you get your podcasts. Episode 1 premieres October 27.

09/28/2026

We had a wonderful time meeting so many supporters and friends at Momo Crawl 2026! 🥟💙

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our table to meet the team, practice Tibetan calligraphy, take home a personalized calligraphy piece by artist Kelsang Lhamo, and pick up a copy of Spiral. A special thank you to Momo Crawl founder Jeffery Orlick, who stopped by with his family to have their names written in Tibetan (Slide 4)!

We also said a final farewell to About a Living Culture, the temporary public art sculpture by Nepalese artist IMAGINE that celebrated the diverse Himalayan cultures of Jackson Heights, Queens (Slides 5–6).

Thank you, Jackson Heights, for a wonderful day!

📸 Photos by Dustin Lin

_______
IMAGINE (a.k.a. Sneha Shrestha) (b. 1987, Kathmandu, Nepal); About a Living Culture; powder coated steel and fabric; 2025; Diversity Plaza, Queens, New York City; courtesy of the artist, presented by the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art and New York City Department of Transportation; fabricated in collaboration with Black Cat Labs; photos by Dustin Lin

Address

New York, NY

Opening Hours

Thursday	10am - 11am
	11am - 5pm
Friday	11am - 10pm
Saturday	11am - 5pm
Sunday	11am - 5pm

Website

http://www.RubinMuseum.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art:

Want your museum to be the top-listed museum in New York?