Masterpieces of Himalayan Art from a European Private Collection

Written by Annie Roper Monday, 19 March 2012 21:24

New York City - London dealer Rossi & Rossi and New York’s Carlton Rochell are pleased to present an important exhibition of twenty-five works from Tibet, Nepal and India to be staged at Carlton Rochell Asian Art in the Fuller Building, 41 East 57^th Street, New York, from Friday 11 to Friday 25 September 2009 .  From a European private collection, these sculptures, paintings and ritual objects are all of breathtaking quality, created by artists to inspire worshippers of the Buddhist and Hindu faiths.  Spanning several centuries and from a number of cultures in the Himalayan mountain region, each of the works in the collection embodies an unparalleled spiritual aesthetic.   Prices will range from $45,000 to over $750,000.

Fabio Rossi and Carlton Rochell have collaborated in the past, most notably on the landmark exhibition Sacred Symbols: The Ritual Art of Tibet in 1999.  They each have more than 25 years’ experience in the field of Indian and Himalayan art and have made numerous academic contributions during their respective careers. This major exhibition provides them with the opportunity to offer their combined expertise and present this exceptional group of objects to an international audience.

Highhlights include a magnificent jewel-like 14^th century Tibetan painting of Cakrasamvara depicting the blue-skinned Buddha Samvara with his consort, the red-skinned Dakini Dzalshambaram.  Set against a vibrant fiery aureole, the animated couple is engaged in a passionate embrace, the ultimate tantric union of female and male, wisdom and compassion.  Not only have the figures been painted with precision but they also exude a powerful aura of energy.  This painting was once owned by Dr Walter N. Koelz, a naturalist who acquired it on one of his expeditions to Tibet in 1933-34.

Carlton Rochell opened his New York gallery in October 2002 in the Fuller Building.  The gallery offers sculpture and paintings from India, Tibet, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, an area which Carlton Rochell sees as still underdeveloped within the field of Asian art.  Rochell spent the first eighteen years of his career at Sotheby’s, where he founded the Indian and Southeast Asian Art Department in 1988.  Later, he became the Managing Director of China and Southeast Asia and Head of the Asian Departments worldwide, as well as a highly regarded auctioneer. 

Rossi & Rossi was founded in London in 1985 by Anna Maria Rossi who has been active in the field of Asian art for over 30 years.  In 1988 she was joined by her son Fabio who started travelling to Asia with his parents at an early age and moved to London in 1983 to attend the School of Oriental and African Studies.  Together, Anna Maria and Fabio Rossi have established a reputation as leading dealers in traditional Indian and Himalayan art as well as contemporary Asian art, particularly Tibetan.  Among their clients are such institutions as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Cleveland Museum of Art, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and the Tokyo National Museum .

Opening hours:  Monday to Friday, 10 am to 6 pm.