T I B E T
19. AUG.-26. NOV. 2006 VILLA HÜGEL ESSEN
Press information I long version (p. 1)
TIBET – Treasures from Tibetan monasteries
19th August to 26th November 2006: Unique Tibet exhibition in the Villa Hügel
The Villa Hügel in Essen, once the residence of the Krupp family, has made itself a
nationwide reputation amongst the cultural institutions of North-Rhine Westphalia. Besides
presenting important works by old masters it has attracted the attention of the general public
with its major cultural and historical projects. One of its focal points is the art and culture of
Central Asia and the Far East.
Against the background of this tradition the Kulturstiftung Ruhr has now made it possible to
visitors to familiarise themselves with a particularly fascinating culture – Tibet and its almost
unknown monastic treasures. From 19th August to 26th November 2006 the Villa Hügel will be
showing a large number of old religious artworks from the treasuries of Tibetan monasteries.
Some of these works date back 1500 years and the majority have never before left Tibet; all
of which makes this not only a unique event but also a world première. When the exhibition
closes in Essen there are plans for it to be taken over by the "Staatliche Museen" in Berlin.
Over the last few years Tibetan art from Western collections has been presented in a
considerable number of exhibitions in Europe. Two major exhibitions – "Tesori del Tibet“ in
Milan (1994) and "Tibet - Treasures from the Roof of the World“ in Santa Ana (2003), a
mobile exhibition which was shown all over the USA for two years until 2005 – also contained
treasures from collections in and around Lhasa. But never before have religious and cultural
objects from a variety of Tibetan monasteries and a provincial museum in Central Tibet (i.e.
outside the capital of Lhasa) been shown in an exhibition.
The most important loans for the exhibition at the Villa Hügel come from the Potala-Palast in
Lhasa, the former summer palace of the Dalai Lamas – Norbulingka –, the Tibet Museum
and the Yarlung Museum in Tsethang, in addition to the monasteries of Sakya, Tashi
Lhunpo, Palkhor Chode in Gyantse, Shalu and Mindroling.
The first steps on the road towards implementing the Tibet exhibition in the Villa Hügel began
more than three years ago. After the Kulturstiftung Ruhr had decided to present art which is
still held in Tibet for the first time in Germany, contact was initially made with the Chinese
embassy in Berlin in its role as representative of the autonomous region of Tibet in Germany.
The embassy signalised its willingness to support the project and established contact with
the Tibetan cultural authorities. There followed four journeys by delegations from the
Kulturstiftung Ruhr to Tibet; journeys which were full of extraordinary experiences and
encounters for the team around Professor Dr. Jeong-hee Lee-Kalisch, Professor of the Far
East department of the Art History Institute at the Free University of Berlin and curator of the
exhibition.
The first point of interest was fieldwork, i.e. the study of local Buddhist culture, the structures
of museums and similar institutions, and the attitude of Tibetans to sacred art. But another
driving force behind the exhausting expeditions was the search for hidden treasures. This
yielded rich fruits. For the vast amount of objects which the team was allowed to view in
museums, palaces and monasteries were quite simply fascinating on account of their
outstanding quality. The quest for new discoveries and fresh research results quickly
dissolved, however, at the meetings with the humble monks and abbots in the monasteries
and their devout disciples. The team quickly realised that much patience and time would be
required – perhaps even a lifetime – to really become acquainted with this little known
terrain.
Pressestelle: Claudia Holthausen I Tel. 0201/61629-16 I Fax 0201/61629-11 I Mobil 0172/2784981 I presse@villahuegel.de
T I B E T
19. AUG.-26. NOV. 2006 VILLA HÜGEL ESSEN
Press information I long version (p. 2)
The team was all the more delighted with the generous spirit of cooperation shown by the
abbots in the major monasteries of Tibet. Although the principle of an art exhibition and the
related consciousness of autonomous art is alien to their culture they were fascinated by the
idea of making their monastic treasures accessible to the general public in the West. They
regarded the exhibition, as it were, as an opportunity to conduct a cultural and spiritual
mission. Out of respect for their faith and their gentle and simultaneously dynamic religion,
the delegation made a conscious decision not to borrow cults object which are deeply linked
with the everyday religious context of monastic rituals.
Around 150 exhibits have now arrived in Essen; from life-size sculptures to paintings and
multifaceted mandalas, shrines, temple decorations and altar equipments. Fire gilded figures,
minutely painted and embroidered scroll illustrations, silk wall hangings, bejewelled altar
equipment, illuminated manuscripts with artistically carved book covers and precious shrines
reveal Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, teachers, meditation and protective deities, and heavenly
travellers in a huge number of widely different forms and symbols, The works are outstanding
for their aesthetic qualities and impressive splendour. The oldest exhibit is a roughly thirtycentimetre high sitting Shakyamuni Buddha made of bronze, which dates back to 473 A.D.
The most recent exhibits were made at the start of the 20th century. One of the focal points of
the exhibition– and certainly also one of its high points – is a group of sculptures whose
vividness and perfection defies comparison: ten almost life-size portraits by the masters of
the Sakya school dating back to the early 16th century. Further highlights include a huge
sculpture of the thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva full of limitless compassion,
an exceptionally well-preserved illuminated manuscript from the 11th century, and so-called
"thangkas", highly colourful, textile scroll paintings. All these works, mostly by anonymous
artists, were created not only in Tibet, but also in India, Nepal, Burma, Kashmir und China –
regions with which Tibet had lively relationships.
In this way visitors will be able to grasp the broad range of artistic styles in Tibet more easily.
At the same time the Villa Hügel wants the project to provide an insight into the culture of
Tibet. In order to do justice to both these aspects and to the extraordinary generosity of the
donors, the exhibition is called "Tibet – artistic treasures from Tibetan monasteries". The title
is not only a literal reference to the value and beauty of the artistic treasures, but also a
symbolic reference to the exhibits as objects of refuge, which are referred to as "precious
treasures" or "jewels" in the Sutra tradition. The visible presentation of the precious objects is
intended to throw a light on the invisible spiritual aspects of these "jewels".
Tibetan art history is inseparably linked with the spiritual and religious history of the country
on the “roof of the world”, a name which, to the inhabitants of Western countries, whose
philosophies are shot through with the idea of reason, has an almost magic feel and which is
generally regarded as a symbol of secret knowledge about the meaning and ultimate aim of
existence. There are good reasons for this. In scarcely any other country in the world is the
conviction of the rightness and spiritual power of faith for all time, so deeply and constantly
rooted in the consciousness of its inhabitants as it is in Tibet. Buddhism is the substance of
Tibetan identity, and every single artistic creation has always been an expression of this
attitude to life.
Pressestelle: Claudia Holthausen I Tel. 0201/61629-16 I Fax 0201/61629-11 I Mobil 0172/2784981 I presse@villahuegel.de
T I B E T
19. AUG.-26. NOV. 2006 VILLA HÜGEL ESSEN
Press information I long version (p. 3)
Even today the exhibits still serve as ritual and cult objects in the monasteries of Tibet, and
are held in awe by lay people and clerics alike. The believer who meditates on the portraits of
the Buddhas and deities is striving to develop an infinite empathy with all living creatures and
thereby to experience his or her own Buddha nature. Thus all art works are regarded as
valuable aids on the path to enlightenment. The exhibition is, therefore, not merely a
presentation of highly valuable and beautiful artistic treasures, but also of the cultural and
spiritual legacy of a self-assured people.
In order to present all the many different aspects of Tibetan art as effectively as possible and
to give a basic idea of how Buddhism is reflected in art, the exhibition has been arranged in
five main thematic sections. At the centre are the ten figurative sculptures by the masters of
the Sakya school. They document the tradition of one of the eight major meditation systems
which were brought from India to Tibet between the 8th and 12th century. A further theme is
devoted to monastic life and the huge amount of Buddhist deities and teachers. In their
function as deeply symbolic objects, mandalas link the macrocosm of the universe with the
microcosm of human experience. In the exhibition they represent Tantric Buddhism. Visitors
to the exhibition can get an insight into everyday religious practices from a collection of
insignia and personal utensils belonging to the religious leaders of Tibet. These include
shrines and altar equipment, ritual and consecratory objects, temple decorations, musical
instruments and dancing masks. The final section of the exhibition is devoted to Tibetan
medicine whose total approach is closely linked to the culture and religion of the country.
(see THE EXHIBITION THEMES)
The particular merit of the exhibition is to further our knowledge of Tibetan art, which hitherto
has primarily been based on exhibits in private collections in the West, by extending our
attention to those works which have remained in Tibet and thereby throwing light on their
spiritual background. In addition the exhibition has resulted in a considerable amount of
pioneering academic work. Many of the exhibits shown here have been unpublicised to date
and have been subjected to a thorough process of academic study for the first time. They
have been collated, deciphered, ordered chronologically and interpreted – a process which
serves to protect a unique treasury of art and also to conserve a highly significant cultural
legacy.
A comprehensive 680 page, richly illustrated catalogue (30.00 €) documents the exhibition in
the Villa Hügel. It starts with a section of essays, in which well-known academics from
Europe, Tibet and America provide an introduction to art and culture in Tibet. In the
catalogue section itself, the exhibits, like the exhibition itself, are divided into five major
thematic areas according to the iconography and function of the artworks. The articles in the
catalogue are fundamentally the joint work of teams of academics from the specific areas of
Tibetology, Indology, South-Asian and East-Asian art history and Buddhist studies.
Sanskrit names and terms have been anglicised.
Pressestelle: Claudia Holthausen I Tel. 0201/61629-16 I Fax 0201/61629-11 I Mobil 0172/2784981 I presse@villahuegel.de