Tenzing Norbu Lama was born in the village of Tinkyu, in Dolpo, Nepal, and hails from a lineage of painters dating back four hundred years. At the age of eight he went to live in a monastery where he was trained by his father in the art of traditional Tibetan thangka scroll painting and where he prepared to be a lama.

His work, regularly exhibited in Nepal and Europe, has appeared in several international publications and is currently held in private and museum collections in the U.S., France, Switzerland, Monaco and Japan.

He is the illustrator of the following books:

Clear Sky, Red Earth: A Himalayan Story, written by Sienna Craig (Mera Publications, 2004);

Secret of the Snow Leopard, written in collaboration with Stéphane Frattini (Éditions Milan/France, 2002; Groundwood Books, 2004);

Himalaya (Éditions Milan/France, 2000; Groundwood Books, 2002), based on the award-winning movie of the same name (on which he collaborated).

Norbu currently lives in Kathmandu but spends three months of every year in Dolpo. Through Drokpa, a nonprofit organization working in the Himalayas and Central Asia to “implement grassroots development and catalyze social entrepreneurship", he plays an active role in the change and continuity of Dolpo village life by training aprentices to paint and handcraft leather goods. In addition to applying his talents to the education of future generations, Norbu also donates a portion of the proceeds from all his exhibits to the Kula Primary School, the only educational institution in his home village.

Gallery images courtesy of Groundwood Books and Mera Publications.

More on the web:

Himalayan Artists

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