History of the Rubin Museum
Founded in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit trust, the Rubin Museum of Art (RMA), the premier museum of Himalayan art in the Western world, opened to the public in October 2004. RMA is governed by an independent Board of Directors, which, with its professional staff, has led the museum to become universally recognized by newcomers and connoisseurs alike for showcasing the art of the Himalayan region. Through its collections and extensive public programming, the museum is a resource to the diverse communities that live in or travel to the New York region.
RMA engages visitors through exhibitions, educational and public programming, and special events that invite a broad range of cultural and historical exploration. With 25,000 square feet of gallery space—in addition to public spaces, an education studio, a state-of-the-art theater, a shop, and a café—RMA draws more than 100,000 visitors a year.
On view at any one time are numerous exhibitions, drawn from the RMA collection, with diverse themes which range from female Buddhas to divine madness and flying mystics to the origins of ancient Himalayan religions. The museum also serves as a venue for traveling exhibitions, bringing to New York audiences such critically acclaimed exhibitions as Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World; Eternal Presence: Handprints and Footprints in Buddhist Art; I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion; and The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama.
Collection
The museum’s collection of more than 2,000 works of art includes Himalayan paintings, sculpture, textiles, ritual objects, and prints spanning a period from the 2nd century to the 20th century. The works of art in the collection are drawn from the cultures that touch upon the 1,800 mile arc of mountains that extends from Afghanistan in the northwest to Myanmar (Burma) in the southeast and includes Tibet Autonomous Region, Nepal, Mongolia, and Bhutan. The larger Himalayan cultural sphere, determined by significant cultural exchange over millennia, includes Iran, India, China, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia.
Exhibitions and Programs
RMA offers an array of on- and off-site educational programs, as well as public programs such as talks and discussions, film screenings, live music, dance, poetry and other performances, and art demonstrations. The museum continues to refine a museum-wide access program in order to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities and special needs, language challenges, and at-risk and underserved segments of the population. A visit to RMA is enhanced by the presence of guides in the galleries, American Sign Language interpreted tours for hearing impaired visitors, Visual Imagery/Touch Tours for visual impaired visitors, and a wheel chair-accessible facility. Assistive listening devices and wheelchairs are also provided.
Affiliations
In collaboration with two affiliated organizations—the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center (www.tbrc.org) and the Himalayan Art Resources (www.himalayanart.org)—RMA continues to design a menu of program options to advance the study of Himalayan arts and present varied aspects of its exhibitions. These partnerships support the museum’s efforts in bridging the gap between scholarly investigation and overall information accessible to the general public.
Funding
RMA exhibitions and programs are supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Music Fund, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The New York Community Trust, The Donald J. Trump Foundation, the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro, the Henry Luce Foundation, JP Morgan Chase, The Starr Foundation, other generous corporate and foundation donors, and a growing roster of corporate and individual members.
The Building
The 70,000-square-foot museum occupies what was formerly a portion of the Barneys department store in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood. It was acquired in 1998 and renovated extensively from 2000-2004. The renovation and new design elements were the results of a collaboration headed by the architectural firm of Beyer Blinder Belle and including Atelier Imrey Culbert (associate museum designers) and Milton Glaser Incorporated.
Many of the most important details within the building have been retained from its previous life, most notably Andree Putman's steel-and-marble staircase that spirals dramatically through the seven-story gallery tower. In addition to spacious yet intimate galleries for featured exhibitions, the museum includes space for contemporary and historical photography, an art-making studio, a state-of-the-art theater for multimedia events and performances, a cafe, and a gift shop.
