Nepal: Kathmandu Valley Art at Musée National des Arts Asiatiques — Guimet
NEPAL
Kathmandu Vallery Art
October 20, 2021 — January 17, 2022
The art of Nepal, which until the mid-18th century meant the Kathmandu valley alone, occupies a major place in the Himalayan arts world, despite the small area of the country. Exceptional art developed there, finding its first impulse in that of India but acquiring by its originality a reputation which extended to Tibet and to the imperial court of China. The exhibition presents around 90 works from this mythical and little-known country, coming from the collections of the National Museum of Asian Arts - Guimet, as well as a selection of important works belonging to the French public collections, brought together for the first time.
The exhibition covers a long history between the 10th and 19th century. It also presents photographs, drawings, miniatures, sculptures in bronze and wood, as well as Nepalese ritual objects of Buddhist and Hindu obedience. Flourishing in parallel in the Kathmandu valley, the two religious currents sometimes mingled in a very original syncretism, with complex iconography.
The exhibition combines the MNAAG collections with some major works on loan from the Collège de France, the Asian art museums of Nice, Toulouse, and the Quai Branly museum.
Until the middle of the 18th century, Nepal only designated the Kathmandu valley, an essential place of passage between the Indian and Tibetan worlds. Its inhabitants, the Newars, developed brilliant and original art, which found its first impulse in that of India but acquired itself a considerable reputation. The arts of Buddhism and Hinduism flourished in parallel in the valley, including in their tantric form, of an esoteric character. The Nepalese collection of the National Museum of Asian Arts - Guimet, gradually built up since the end of the 19th century, now includes more than a hundred pieces, forming an exceptional whole by its quality and its iconographic richness.
