Abbot on Art

Drawing from his own rich background andexpertise in Buddhist cultural and artistic traditions, Abbot Khenpo Tsewang RigzinofNamgyal Monastery, Mustang, gives his personalperspective on selected artworks, their meaning and their usage in the Rubin Museumcollection. The tour will be moderated by SeniorCurator, Christian Luczanits and translated byKunzom Thakuri.
As abbot of one of the oldest and mostprestigious monasteries in the Upper Mustang,Khenpo Tsewang Rigzin brings with him theknowledge of hundreds of years of Buddhistartistic and cultural traditions. Founded in the13thcentury and belonging to theNgor School of Tibetan Buddhism, Namgyal Monastery hasalways been a haven for religious scholarship and a repository for an extremely rich artistic heritage. Having grown up inMustang and having attended the monastery asa young student, Khenpo Tsewang Rigzin has developed a personal relationship to the artworks his monastery houses. It is thisrelationship, among others, that KhenpoTsewang Rigzin will draw from when he deliversa tour of the Rubin Museum. This tour will be the first event relating to a future exhibition on the artistic heritage of Mustang.

About the Speaker

Khenpo Tsewang Rigzin is the abbot ofNamgyal Monastery, one of the mostprestigious and active monasteries in the regionof Upper Mustang, Nepal. His school, a branch of the Sakya School, isknown for its scholarship as well as itspatronage of art works of the highest quality. Since becoming abbot in 2004, KhenpoTsewang Rigzin has seen to it that themonastery remains at the forefront of Buddhistmonastic education.Khenpo Tsewang Rigzin hasrecognized the importance of such a place inthe harsh realities of the region, and thuscontinues to develop education in the area. In2009 he founded a monastic school in Pokharawhere students can receive Buddhist teachingseven during the long winters.