Monumental Lhasa: Fortress, Palace, Temple

The Rubin Museum presents "Monumental Lhasa: Fortress, Palace, Temple", the first exhibition of its kind to explore rare images of central Tibet’s most iconic monuments as they were seen by Tibetans and Westerners prior to the mid-twentieth century.

Architectural landmarks act as anchors for the identity of a place as well as focal points for associated stories and memories. Much like the Eiffel Tower is the pervasive symbol of France and the Statue of Liberty represents New York City, beginning in the seventeenth century, key Tibetan monuments became powerful visual icons of Lhasa, the holy capital of Tibet.

Monumental Lhasa: Fortress, Palace, Temple is the first exhibition of its kind to explore rare images of central Tibet’s most iconic monuments as they were seen by Tibetans and Westerners prior to the mid-twentieth century. The exhibition explores how image-making relates to placemaking and how the production and transmission of images contributes to the iconic character, familiarity, and power of important landmarks.

By bringing objects from the Rubin Museum together with art from public and private collections across Europe and North America, this exhibition presents a distinct genre, encompassing paintings, photographs, drawings, and film. The exhibition revives one of the original functions of these images—to transmit the holy city of Lhasa to a remote audience. In Monumental Lhasa Rubin visitors are able to vicariously visit and experience the main architectural sites of Tibet through historical and contemporary eyes.