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Celebrating World Heritage Day on 18 of April, Himalay’Art is delighted to display a collection of some of the finest pieces of contemporary wood carving in traditional Newari art, as well as panoramic photos of Newari carvings, streets, and inhabitants, from the renowned photographer Kishor Kayastha.

Isolated in their valleys by the Himalayan ranges to the north and by malaria-infested jungles to the south for centuries, the Newars – of tibeto-burmese origins - have developed a unique architectural and artistic style, which significantly influenced a large part of Asia.

The Kathmandu Valley is full of pagoda temples and elegant red brick houses whose pillars, windows and other components are decorated with magnificent wood carvings representing Hindu and Buddhist deities.

From generation to generation, the delicate art of wood carving, so specific to the Newars, has been skilfully preserved and passed down. This art reached its peak during the Licchavi period (from the 3^rd to the 9^th century) and during the Malla kings (from the 12^th to the 18^th century). The famous artistic legacy of the Newar artisans influenced many countries in Asia, notably through the adoption of pagoda structures so intrinsically linked to the landscapes of Eastern Asia.

In the 19^th and 20^th centuries, the quality of the Newari wood carving declined significantly following the emergence of new European influences, falling demand and a long economic decline.

From the 1970s, restoration projects in the Kathmandu valley enabled the creation of workshops and schools to preserve the cultural heritage of woodcraft and the training of new artists. Since then, the production and quality of Newari woodcraft started to increase and continue to improve.

As a testimony to the new apogee of this ancestral art, Himalay’Art is delighted to present a collection of some of the finest pieces of contemporary wood carvings by Nepal Academy of Fine Arts awarded artists, along with panoramic photos by the renowned photographer Kishor Kayastha.