I have long been an admirer and member of the Rubin Museum of Art in NYC. It is the ultimate destination when one wants to view the most beautiful and complete collection of Himalayan Art. Buddhas, mandalas and paintings are all represented in a spectacular building which winds around a central, sweeping spiral staircase, topped by a large glass dome. To be a member of the museum means being able to view the exhibits before they open to the public, but also bestows the ability to mingle among other art lovers who share a passion for this part of the world. On an opening night there, it is not unusual to see Buddhist monks in full maroon robes, surrounded by the crème of New York’s high society, all sharing a thought with some prominent personalities of the Asian literary and art world. Although the museum opened to the public in 2004 – making it a relative newcomer among all those nearly-ancient NY institutions – it has quickly become a force to be reckoned with in Asian art.

For those who may not be familiar with the place, Bhutan is a landlocked country in the Himalayas, roughly the size of the Dominican Republic and wedged right between China and India. Ranked number 8 on Business Week’s list of “The World’s Happiest Countries” in 2006, it is hardly a place without its share of problems. Highly mountainous, with a relatively low life expectancy and a very low GDP per capita, the highly proud and religious people of Bhutan seem to have found a formula for serenity, against all odds. Tantric Buddhism is the country’s official religion.

The lavish exhibit currently at the Rubin, until the 5th of January 2009, was organized by the Honolulu Academy of Arts in Hawaii in cooperation with the Royal Government of Bhutan’s Department of Culture and the country’s Central Monastic Authority. The member’s preview, held this past Thursday evening, was the typically fresh combination of East-meets-West fashions, great hors d’oeuvres and breathtaking art I have come to expect from a “night at the Rubin”. Gilded-faced Buddhas shared the space with thangkas – embroidery framed in brocade – while the sculpture of the Bodhisattva of Compassion looked on. Above it all, giant flat-screen TVs broadcast videos of the ritual “Cham” dances, which will be performed around NYC in conjunction with the exhibit.

A magical night to be remembered, thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Donald and Shelley Rubin, the founders of this fantastic museum and its most precious assets.