Art of the Himalayas: Treasures from Nepal and Tibet FROM THE PUBLISHER
This volume presents paintings, drawings, textiles, metal sculpture, and ritual objects ranging from the beginning of our millennium to the 19th century. In addition to brief texts about each object, it includes essays on the collection and on the arts of Nepal and Tibet in the context of their political and religious as well as artistic histories.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
More a textbook than a coffee-table piece, this catalogue spotlights Himalayan paintings, sculptures, textiles and drawings created from the seventh to 19th centuries and now part of the private Zimmerman Collection housed in upstate New York, which is soon to begin a national tour. Pal, a curator of Indian and Southeast Asian art in Los Angeles, stresses, ``None of the objects in the Zimmerman Collection . . . ever decorated a wall or mantel, and all were primarily esteemed for their spiritual significance rather than their aesthetic allure23 .'' Essays compare the Buddhist Tibetans, whose eclecticism resulted from Chinese and Indian influence, to the Newars, a Nepali minority of both Buddhists and Hindus responsible for most of Nepal's art; readers are referred to specific plates as examples. Of the 133 illustrations, roughly half are duotone; although the bronzes and other sculptures generally are monochrome, more extensive use of color would have enriched the volume. In addition, the reproductions are often small and details difficult to discern. However, students of Himalayan culture are well-served by captions that discuss the origins and religious references of each piece. (Feb.)
Library Journal
Issued in connection with the opening of the Nehru Gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Arts of India includes seven essays on various aspects of Indian art, illustrated with examples from the museum. It does not attempt to be a comprehensive guide to the museum's vast holdings on India. Instead, it is a delightful overview that expresses many interesting new ideas on the subject of Indian art. In contrast, several things mar the usefulness of Art of the Himalayas for those unable to see the objects directly. First, this catalog for the 119 works of the Zimmerman collection currently touring five U.S. museums contains a large number of black-and-white photographs. Second, the color illustrations of the paintings are so small that the rich detail of both these art traditions cannot be seen. Third, the descriptive annotations are tedious and filled with Sanskrit terminology. Libraries most definitely will want Arts of India , but unless you have to have all works on Tibet and Nepal, you could pass on Art of the Himalayas. -- Donald Clay Johnson, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Minneapolis
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