Rubin Museum

My trip to the Rubin Museum was really nice. As soon as I walked in I was in shock of now nice the facility appeared. The woman at the front desk was extremely polite and accommodating, unlike many other museum clerks I have encountered in the past. It isn’t as big as other museums such as the Guggenheim or Natural museum of history but I enjoyed the simplicity of only six floors, two of which weren’t opened yet. The collection is mainly about Himalayan art including great works from the Tibetan plateau. I spent most of my experience looking at beautiful artifacts such as the ones pictured below.

These artifacts stood out to be because of their beauty and of their simplicity. Decorated saddles were used as a sign of status throughout the Himalayas. The Vajra and Bell are mainly seen being held by deities in paintings and sculptures, usually used in Tantric Buddhist rituals. The Vajra basically symbolizes ‘compassionate action’ and the bell symbolizes ‘understanding of reality’. The amulet box shows the intricate metal work where regions of eastern Tibet are known for.

The sixth floor of the Rubin Museum was a bit scary for me. Most of the other people in the museum were carefully studying the masks on this floor. I stayed for a few minutes took a look around but the masks were terrifying. So I decided to check out the gift shop before I departed.

I enjoyed how much the gift-shop had to offer, it consisted of really cool hand pained coasters, nicely decorated candles, quilts and jewelery. I did decide to buy a book called Rebel Buddah and I’m excited to begin reading.

Overall I enjoyed my experience at the Rubin Museum and will definitely be returning.