Patron and Painter

The Collection of the Rubin Museum of Art is extraordinarily rich in paintings created in the style known as Karma Gardri, or Encampment Style. The noted scholar David P. Jackson examines these paintings and related works from collections around the world to identify the subjects and date the works and, in many cases, to name the painter or patron responsible for the works. Most notable among patrons and painters of this style is Situ Panchen, who lived in the 18th century in Kham Province of eastern Tibet. Highly educated and widely traveled, Situ was accomplished in numerous areas of endeavor. He was a revered holy man, talented painter, linguist, diplomat, and he was learned in the field of medicine. AS he traveled between eastern Tibet and China, he kept diaries, which have helped Jackson and fellow scholar Karl Debreczeny reveal the life and times of Situ and illuminate his singular contribution to the artistic traditions of Tibetan painting.