Rubin Museum of Art

On Sunday afternoon I visited the Rubin Museum of Art for the first time. A museum solely of art of the Himalayas, the Rubin Museum was different than any museum I've been to in the city. And even though I've studied a lot of different kinds of art, I have no background at all in Himalayan art, so it was very interesting to step out of my comfort zone and see something totally new.

In all honestly, I rushed through the exhibits and didn't spend a lot of time looking at anything in particular. I'll have to go back and give it my full attention another time. But I did enjoy just walking through and appreciating the aesthetic value of the objects and paintings, without bothering too much with the historical and cultural explanations. The first exhibit in the museum is a permanent exhibit, an introduction to the art of the Himalayas and the cultural and religious practices that inspired it. There were lengthy wall panels about Buddhist deities, Tibetan meditation practices, and maps of the region so you could orient yourself and place the objects in context. It was very interesting and definitely useful information, but I wasn't really in the mood to give myself the tools I needed to interpret the art. I just wanted to look at it and move on to the next object.

I'll make it back soon to appreciate the artwork on a more intellectual level (probably), but I also want to go back to eat at the Himalayan cafe. On Wednesdays from 5-7 they have a happy hour, and on Fridays from 6-10 museum admission is free, and there's live music, and a film screening at 9:30. There's also a Pan Asian tapas menu and DJ in the cafe area. Can't go wrong with that!