Lama, Emperor, Icon

This program is exclusively for Rubin Museum members.

Religious claims to political power are a global phenomenon, and Tibetan Buddhism once offered a divine means to power and legitimacy to rule. This timely presentation from Rubin Museum Senior Curator Karl Debreczeny will explore the intersection of politics, religion, and art in Tibetan Buddhism, especially the force of religion to claim political power.

Karl Debreczeny is Senior Curator, Collections and Research, at the Rubin Museum of Art. He completed his PhD in art history at the University of Chicago. He was a Fulbright-Hays Fellow and a National Gallery of Art CASVA Ittleson Fellow. His research focuses on exchanges between Tibetan and Chinese artistic traditions.