Zanabazar: The Wisdom of the Steppes. From the Heart of Mongolia to the MAO: 17th century Masterpieces

From 27 February to 7 April 2026, MAO Museo d’Arte Orientale, in collaboration with the Galleria Borghese, Rome, presents to the public for the first time in Europe two extraordinary works by the tulku Zanabazar, a 17th-century spiritual master, artist and innovator.

Born in the Mongolian Steppes in 1635, Zanabazar was a prominent figure in Tibetan Buddhism as practised in Mongolia at the time, honoured by the title Öndör Gegeen (His Holiness the Enlightened One) and the first Khutuktu Jebtsundamba, the highest spiritual authority of the reformed Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) school of Tibetan Buddhism in Mongolia, venerated as a reincarnation of one of the Buddha’s 500 original disciples. Declared the spiritual leader of the Mongols in 1639, when he was just four years old, he was also recognised by the 5th Dalai Lama (1617–1682) as the reincarnation of the Buddhist Indian scholar, Taranatha.

Over the course of nearly 60 years, Zanabazar advanced the reformed Gelugpa school (to which the Dalai Lama also belonged) among the Mongol population, supplanting the Sakya or ‘Red Hat’ traditions (the old pre-Gelugpa school) that had been previously dominant in the area, and deeply influenced social and political developments in 17th-century Mongolia.

In addition to being a brilliant scholar and a prominent spiritual authority, Zanabazar was also a versatile artist. A few works signed by him have also survived, a rare practice in Buddhist art.

Zanabazar is considered the greatest Mongolian sculptor of his time. The most important works made in Mongolia in the early modern period were created by him and members of his school, including an extraordinary Green Tara and a bronze self-portrait of Zanabazar enthroned. On view from 20 January to 22 February 2026 in the entrance hall of the Galleria Borghese, Rome, the two masterpieces will be on display at MAO, Turin from 27 February to 7 April 2026 in the museum’s galleries dedicated to South Asia, Central Asia and the Himalayan region, creating a dialogue with works from the Himalayas and in particular from the ancient Densatil Monastery in Central Tibet, which inspired Zanabazar’s sculptures and religious paintings.

These works, displayed in Italy and Europe for the first time, on loan from the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, Ulaanbaatar for the exhibitions in Rome and Turin, are of exceptional aesthetic and spiritual value and marked by an innovative and accessible language that speaks directly to the eye and soul of visitors (and the faithful).

This project is a special opportunity for MAO to present, as a Western institution that preserves Asian art, one of the most important religious artists of Mongolia, placing him in relation to the museum’s works and filling a gap in the collection, which includes a few examples of tangka and sculptures from Eastern Tibet that bear traces of Mongolian and Chinese influence, but lacks works of direct Mongolian provenance.

The project also aims to promote intercultural exchange between Italy and Mongolia, strengthening the dialogue between national and international institutions. Towards this end, an exhibition project is planned for summer 2026 for which a few fragments from the Densatil Monastery in the MAO collection will be displayed in the Chinggis Khaan National Museum, along with a multimedia installation from 2025 y the duo Ritu Sarin and Tenzing Sonam which reinterprets the value of this important collection through the first-person narration of a sculpture of Virūḍhaka (Guardian King of the South), one of the four statues that watched over the cardinal points of one of the monastery’s metal stupas. 

The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue, published by Silvana Editoriale, with institutional texts by MAO, Galleria Borgese and Chinggis Khaan National Museum, new essays by experts including Thupten Kelsang and Chiara Bellini and texts on the works in the exhibition, with translations in Italian and English. The richly illustrated volume will also include installation views from both exhibition venues.

Admission is included in the ticket for the permanent collection and the Chiharu Shiota exhibition.