The museum originated from a private collection of Himalayan art which Donald and Shelley Rubin had been assembling since 1974. In 1998, the Rubins paid $22 million for the building that had been occupied by Barneys New York, a designer fashiondepartment store that had filed for bankruptcy. The building was remodeled as a museum by preservation architects Beyer Blinder Belle. The original six-story spiral staircase was left intact to become the center of the of exhibition space. The museum opened on October 2, 2004, and displays more than 1,000 objects including paintings, sculpture, and textiles, as well as ritual objects from the 2nd to the 20th centuries. The new facade on 17th Street and the five floors of galleries were influenced by Tibetan art, and were conceived by New York-based museum architects Celia Imrey and Tim Culbert. Its graphic identity was conceived by graphic designerMilton Glaser. Besides exhibitions based on the museum's permanent collection, it also serves as a venue for national and international traveling exhibitions. The museum is affiliated with the Himalayan Art website to advance the study of Himalayan arts and culture.
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 and Milton Glaser Incorporated. Many of the architectural details within the building were retained, most notably Andree Putman's steel-and-marble staircase that spirals through the six-story gallery tower. In addition to gallery space for featured exhibitions, the museum includes space for contemporary and historical photography, an art-making studio, a theater for multimedia events and performances, a café, and a gift shop. In September 2011, the museum opened a new 5,000 square-foot Education Center adjacent to the main museum building. The new space provides greatly expanded spaces to better facilitate lifelong learning and serve more visitors in deeper, more substantial ways. The Education Center was designed by Lee H. Skolnick Architecture + Design Partnership.
Exhibitions
Among the museum's inaugural exhibitions were "Methods of Transcendance" and "Portraits of Transmission" and "The Demonic Divine in Himalayan Art". In 2006, a three-part exhibition called "Holy Madness" spotlighted siddhas with "Portraits of Tantric Siddhas," "Mahasiddhas at Gyantse," and "Mahasiddhas at Alchi." Not limited in its focus to Buddhist and Hindu religious objects, "I See No Stranger: Early Sikh Art and Devotion", "Bon: The Magic Word", and "Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection" exhibited works related to each of those faiths. June thru August 2008, the museum held an exhibit entitled Buddha in Paradise which was made up of "40 works, from the 13th to the early 20th century, of painting, sculpture, and ritual texts" from the museums collection. In 2010, the "Gateway to Himalayan Art" exhibition opened on the museum's second floor. Presenting the fundamentals of Himalayan art, it explains the symbolism, iconography, and ritual implements in the artworks as well as the materials from which they are made. The exhibit was to remain on view until 2014, with yearly rotations of specific objects. A two-year exhibit on the third floor, "Masterworks: Jewels of the Collection", highlights the stylistic diversity of the museum's holdings and the connections between Himalayan and neighboring artistic traditions.
Activities
The Rubin Museum 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 the Rubin Museum is enhanced by the presence of guides in the galleries, American Sign Language tours, verbal imaging and touch tours, and a wheelchair-accessible facility. Assistive listening devices and wheelchairs are also provided.
