Located in Chelsea, The Rubin Museum is an oasis of eastern Himalayan culture, ideas, and art. The Rubin Museum was founded by Shelley and Donald Rubin who began collecting Himalayan art in the 1970s. In 1995, they established the Shelly & Donald Rubin Foundation to promote social justice and art throughout the Himalayas and New York City. The Foundation was instrumental in helping to adopt technology for health care issues.
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With their Foundation and their art collection, they purchased the former Barney’s department store in Chelsea and converted it into the Rubin Museum of Art. Within a year of its 2004 opening, the Dalai Lama visited and blessed the museum, citing its importance in preserving Himalayan art.
The Rubin Museum's impressive collection of Himalayan art includes more than 3500 pieces spanning more the 1500 years. The artwork originates from areas diverse as the Tibetan Plateau, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Mongolia, and China.
The Rubin Museum has many exhibits and lectures. Recent speakers have included Nisi Shawl, Aaron Fotheringham, and Julianna Margulies. Often the exhibits are interactive including the Measure Your Existence which allows visitors to interact with the fleeting impermanence of life in all destruction, regeneration and immediacy.
In the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room, an immersive experience greets visitors with art and ritual objects based on a traditional shrine in the Kagyu tradition. The design showcases offerings, devotional prayer rituals and contemplation.
The Ruben Museum is open Thursday to Monday with tours offered at 1 pm & 3 pm every day. In addition to lectures and exhibits, the Rubin Museum offers classes and opportunities for meditation and yoga.
