The Rubin’s Senior Curator Dr. Elena Pakhoutova and Smarthistory’s Dr. Beth Harris look at a thangka that illuminates the previous lives of the Buddha. This narrative painting depicts five stories in different scenes that surround the central Buddha figure. These stories, or jatakas, show examples of moral actions and are meant to inspire people to lead a more conscious and meritorious life.
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 thangkas 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.
Stories of the Previous Lives of the Buddha (Jataka); Eastern Tibet; Late 17th-18th century; Pigments on cloth; 37 × 26 in. (estimated); Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; C2004.20.1
Elena Pakhoutova is senior curator, Himalayan art, at the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art and holds a PhD in Asian art history from the University of Virginia. She has curated several exhibitions at the Rubin, including Death Is Not the End (2023), The Power of Intention: Reinventing the (Prayer) Wheel (2019), and The Second Buddha: Master of Time (2018). 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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