Murals of Tibet: Ancient Treasures Revealed

A keytalk by Thomas Laird
Thousands of murals were painted in the temples and monasteries of Tibet over the past millennium. Until now few of these surviving treasures have been seen or described.
Their large size and dark surroundings, in addition to the limitations of pre-digital photographic techniques, have kept these paintings largely hidden from the outside world.
Visitors to the Rubin may have seen Laird’s prints of the Lukhang Murals, on display since 2011, created using new digital techniques– the first life size images of Tibetan murals. Laird has now finished such life size images of more than two hundred and fifty different paintings from all over Tibet: the first representative collection of a thousand years of Tibetan murals. Laird will discuss these wall paintings as well as their historical and religious significance. Most of these murals have never been seen outside of Tibet.
Laird’s forthcoming book, Murals of Tibet, will be published by TASCHEN in 2014.
This event will be the only viewing of these images, in New York, prior to the TASCHEN publication.