The Taragaon Museum is a private art museum and library located in

Kathmandu , pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...

. It is located in the northern part of the city near the Bouddhanath stupa. It is situated on the ground of the Taragaon Regency hotel, which owns the museum. The museum is supported by The Saraf Foundation. The museum features a permanent collection in three of its building alongside Bodhisattva Gallery that displays

Newa art Newar (), or Newari and known officially in Nepal as Nepal Bhasa, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the Newar people, the indigenous inhabitants of Nepal Mandala, which consists of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding regions in Nepal. ...

, Pathivara Gallery that displays thangka paintings, and a contemporary art gallery.

History

The Austrian-style brick structure was built as a hostel for artists and scientist in 1970s.

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

started permitting foreign visitors in 1950s. The hostel was built to reflect the "Nepaliness" to the visitors. The land in which the hostel stands was acquired by His Majesty’s Government in 1969. The land was transferred to the Nepal Women’s Association. In 1970,

Angur Baba Joshi Angur Baba Joshi (; 15 August 1932 – 20 June 2020) was a Nepali social activist and the first Nepalese woman principal. Joshi died in 2020 in Kathmandu, Nepal, aged 87. She is widely renowned as a progressive figure in Nepal's education system ...

, a prominent Nepalese scholar met Austrian architect Carl Pruscha, who served as a UN and UNESCO consultant to the Nepalese government. She then commissioned him to design the hostel. Joshi wanted to create a cultural village for artists in Nepal. The construction began in 1974 and the entire complex was inaugurated on the 25 September 1974, in the presence of Queen Aishwarya Rajya Lakshmi Devi Shah. The style of the structure is a combination of Nepalese and Pruscha's European modernist architecture. In 1990 the Nepal Women’s Association was abolished after the restoration of democracy in Nepal. In 1997, the hostel was abandoned. The property was later acquired by Arun Saraf, the owner of the adjacent

Hyatt hotel Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vacat ...

. It was then renovated into a museum.

Exhibits

The museum covers an area of 35,000 sq. feet. The museum exhibits 18th and 19th century photographs, watercolors and engravings, artist sketches, maps, plans, drawings and various other documentations in its permanent collection. Besides its permanent collection, the Museum also has a Contemporary Art Gallery, Event Hall and two outdoor Amphitheaters.

Events

The museum host various art related events and festivals. The museum campus is also used for book release events and musical performance. The museum was one of the host of Kathmandu Triennale 2077 alongside

Patan Museum The Patan Museum is a museum located in Patan, Lalitpur, Nepal. The museum falls under the UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The Patan Museum was inaugurated in 1997 by Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah. The Patan Museum displays the traditional ...

, Bahadur Shah Baithak, Nepal Art Council and Siddhartha Art Gallery.

References

{{Authority control, state=collapsed 2014 establishments in Nepal Museums in Nepal Art galleries established in 2014 Art museums and galleries in Nepal Libraries in Nepal

History

Exhibits

Events

See also

References