金寶．旺楚克 Gyempo Wangchuk

His passion for art extends beyond his achievements in thangka painting. In 2012, under the guidance of Asha Kama Wangdi, the father of contemporary Bhutanese art, Gyempo began exploring the realm of contemporary art. Gyempo has successfully freed himself from the constraints of traditional metric thangka painting, navigating and even soaring through the free realm of contemporary art to explore diverse narratives. Through thematic creations, his art vividly depicts life in the context of East Himalayan cultural heritage and the process of modernization that Bhutan is still grappling with.

Gyempo observes contemporary social issues affecting his country and the world such as wars and the pandemic. He has a unique narrative style of illustrating these phenomena; using bold colors, embedding both Buddhist and modern iconography, but proudly retaining the underlying techniques and style of Himalayan culture, resulting in a truly outstanding integration of the traditional and the contemporary.

In 2018, Gyempo’s relentless creative energy earned him first place in the National Contemporary Art Competition of Bhutan. He is the most renowned Bhutanese artist who excels in both traditional thangka painting and contemporary art. His artistic talent and abilities have always received significant recognition. In 2019, the current Fifth King and Queen of Bhutan attended his first solo exhibition “Ribong” in Thimphu, and multiple works of his are collected by the royal family and Prime Minister of Bhutan. Gyempo has since received numerous international exhibition invitations, displaying his art in museums in New York, Brussels, India, Indonesia, and Taiwan. In 2021, the Rubin Museum of Art in the United States began an art project collaboration with Gyempo. Subsequently, in 2022, his work “Healing” made the cover of the Rubin Museum’s annual publication “Spiral.” Gyempo’s continuous achievements led him to the nomination by the Sovereign Art Foundation for the 19th Outstanding Asian Artists Award in 2023, where he became the first Bhutanese contemporary artist to enter the finals, competing among 400 artists from the Asia-Pacific region, with only 30 artists advancing to the final selection.

In September 2025, his work was featured in the exhibition Labyrinthus Universi: Himalayan Contemporary Art at Tainan Art Museum Building 2, where “Ripple” was acquired by the Rubin Museum of Art for its permanent collection.

His work will also be included in the traveling exhibition Gateway to Himalayan Art, organized by the Rubin Museum of Art. The exhibition surveys the major forms, core concepts, and evolving cultural contexts of Himalayan art, and will travel to universities and museums across the United States through 2030. This marks a significant milestone in the artist’s evolving practice and represents an important moment in his artistic development.