From October 20th 2021 to January 10th 2022 at Musée Nationale des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet.

The art of Nepal, which until the mid-18th century referred to the only Kathmandu valley, occupies a major place in the arts of the Himalayan world, despite the country’s modest size. An exceptional art developed there, finding its first impetus 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, from the collections of the National Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet, as well as a selection of important works belonging to French public collections, brought together for the first time.

The exhibition covers a long history between the 10th and the 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.