The Rubin’s Senior Curator Dr. Karl Debreczeny and Smarthistory’s Dr. Beth Harris introduce us to the Mountain God Kula Khari, whose fierce power is on display in this 19th-century sculpture. A local protector god, Kula Khari occupies a mountain in Lhodrak, south of the Tibetan capital of Lhasa and near the border with Bhutan.
The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art has teamed up with Smarthistory to bring you an ‘up-close’ look at select objects from the Rubin’s preeminent collection of Himalayan art. Featuring conversations with senior curators and close-looking at art, this video series is an accessible introduction to the art and material culture of the Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian regions. Learn about the living traditions and art-making practices of the Himalayas from the past to today.
Learn more about Kula Khari on Project Himalayan Art, a resource from the Rubin for learning about Himalayan, Tibetan, and Inner Asian art and cultures:
This video was produced in partnership with Smarthistory.
Mountain God Kula Kari; Tibet; 19th century; Painted terracotta; 9 7/8 × 8 1/4 × 4 5/8 in.; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2002.7.3
Karl Debreczeny is senior curator, collections and research, at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art. His research focuses on artistic, religious, and political exchanges between the Tibetan and Chinese traditions. His publications include The Black Hat Eccentric: Artistic Visions of the Tenth Karmapa (2012) and the coedited The Tenth Karmapa and Tibet’s Turbulent Seventeenth Century (2016). More →
Dr. Beth Harris is cofounder and executive director of Smarthistory. Previously, she was dean of art and history at Khan Academy and director of digital learning at The Museum of Modern Art. Before joining MoMA, Beth was Associate Professor of art history and director of distance learning at the Fashion Institute of Technology where she taught both online and in the classroom. She has co-authored, with Dr. Steven Zucker, numerous articles on the future of education and the future of museums, and is the editor of Famine and Fashion: Needlewomen in the Nineteenth Century (2005). She received her Master’s degree from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, and her doctorate in Art History from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
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