Tradition and Innovation. Western Influences in the artistic production of the Nepali Painter Mukti Singh Thapa

It is only relatively recently that galleries and museums have begun showing an enthusiastic interest in the work of contemporary Tibetan artists. Two years ago, the Rubin Museum of New York has devoted a large exhibition, entitled Tradition Transformed. Tibetan Artists Respond, to a number of these. The recent upsurge in Tibetan art is known in the West largely thanks to the efforts of the Rossi & Rossi Gallery of London, which a few years ago began to exhibit works by modern Tibetan artists. The first Italian exhibition of this kind, Tibetan Visions. Contemporary Painting from Tibet, was organised in Rome by Asia Onlus in 20094, and on 4 November 2009, Renzo Freschi’s Oriental Art Gallery inaugurated the exhibition Past and Present of Tibetan Painting. These are brave and admirable initiatives, reflecting a new trend in the tastes of the public and collectors alike, who have generally been keener on traditional ancient Buddhist art. Looking at the situation as a whole, contemporary traditional Buddhist and Hindu art finds it hard to fit into what is an evident gap between traditional sacred art and contemporary works, often built around a secular theme. This gap seems to suggest that Tibeto-Himalayan art can be split in two along cultural and religious lines. In fact, reflecting as it does continuing and fervent religious feeling, traditional Buddhist art has never ceased being produced; indeed, the past few years have witnessed an increase in demand for sacred art throughout Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Ladakh and others parts of India. The interest of art historians and Western collectors in traditional Tibetan art created in the twentieth and twenty-first century has been limited to a handful of examples. This attitude reflects a typically Western way of assessing an object based on its age or its aesthetic value, without taking into account its purpose within a cultural context. ...