Flip SideThe Unseen in Tibetan Art

March 15, 2013–February 10, 2014
Rubin Museum
150 W. 17th St., NYC

The texts and images on the back of Tibetan art objects reveal clues to their meaning, function, and historical context. For the first time ever both sides of a select group of scroll paintings (thangkas), sculptures, and initiation cards are explored in detail. Chosen for the beauty, exceptional content, and complexity of their backs, these works of art dating from the 13th to the 19th century illuminate the many uses of the other side in Tibetan culture.

Much of what is found on the reverse relates to the consecration ritual through which the work becomes a religious object. Handprints of eminent masters and drawings strengthen this religious aspect and are explained along with the key Buddhist texts found there as well. The writing also contains clues for identifying the representations on the front and historical details. Such texts range from veneration mantras dedicated to the immediate teachers of the donor to sophisticated poems of praise mentioning historical personages in the memory of which the work of art was made.

CuratorCurator

Christian Luczanits was a senior curator at the Rubin from 2010–2014. He studied Tibetan and Buddhist Studies at the Institute of Tibetan and Buddhist Studies, University of Vienna, Austria, with a focus on art historical subjects. There he completed his PhD under the external supervision of the late Maurizio Taddei, Istituto Universitario Orientale, Napoli.

Flip SideThe Unseen in Tibetan Art

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