SEP 2001

VOLUME 32 - NUMBER 7

Preparation for this issue coincided with the recent tragic events in Kathmandu, in which nine members of the royal family lost their lives. Dina Bangdel pays tribute to King Birendra, an active patron of culture and the arts in his counry. Other figures who play a role in the preservation of Nepal's art and monuments are also featured. Ian Alsop discusses the legacy of Austrian architect Götz Hagmüller, and restoration of the 18th century Hindu monastery Kuthu Math, now his home. Eric Theophile has selected some conservation projects undertaken by the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust to show how contradictions between local and Western preservation approached are being re-evaluated. The idea for th issue originated with the exhibition 'Desire and Devotion: Art of India, Nepal and Tibet in the John and Berthe Ford Collection', which will open at the Walters Art Museum on 20 October. In her interview with the Fords, Valerie Doran reveals how their interests developed. Mary Slusser uses an image of Vajravarahi in the Ford collection to trace the historical development and tradition of unfired clay images in Nepal. A recently excavated sculpture of Jayavarman has implications for the history of Nepal's sculptural tradition, which Kashinath Tamot and Ian Alsop argue should begin with the Kushun rather than the Gupta peiod. John C. Huntington and Dina Bangdel explore the possibility of a connection between the Newar Buddhist community of Kathmandu and ancient Gaur, an eastern Indic state.

FEATURES
Pema McGuinness. A Tibetan Celebration
Heike Pfund. The Painted Room in Kuthu MathIan Alsop. Gotz Hagmuller of Kuthu Math
Erich Theophile. Opening Borders in Conservation: Post-colonial Tales from Kathmandu
Mary Shepherd Slusser. Nepalese Unfired Clay Sculpture: A Case Study
John C. Huntington and Dina Bangdel. A Case Study in Religious Continuity: The Nepal-Bengal Connection
Kashinath Tamot and Ian Alsop. A Kushan Period Sculpture from the Reign of Jayavarman
PREVIEWS & REVIEWS
Preview Highlights: Arts of Pacific Asia Show in Los Angeles
Autumn Events in Paris: Preview Highlights
Catherine Maudsley. Chinese Painting Auctions in Hong Kong - Spring 2001
INTERVIEWS
Valerie C. Doran. The Evolution of Seeking: A Conversation with John and Berthe Ford
NEWS
Margaret Tao. Gallery News
Klaus F. Naumann. Obituary: Yamane Yuzo (1919-2001)
James Lally. Obituary: Pauline Baerwald Falk (1910-2000)
COMMENTARY
Marianne Yaldiz and Wolfgang Kollisch. Commentary: Beyond the Kathmandu Valley: The Future of Nepalese Conservation