Image: Rubin Museum of Art, New York
Bhutanese artist Pem Lham has won the 2026 Rubin Museum Himalayan Art Prize, which carries $30,000 in unrestricted funds and is described as the largest international award supporting contemporary art related to the Himalayan regions.
Lham works in painting and mixed media, drawing on her Bhutanese heritage and often centering Molay, a spirit girl from Bhutanese mask-dance traditions, in explorations of womanhood, power and belonging. The prize raises her international profile while addressing the wider underrecognition of women artists from South Asia.
Her work has been exhibited in Bhutan, Nepal, India, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Taiwan. She won the White Canvas Art Competition for emerging Asian artists in 2021 and had her first solo exhibition in 2025, organized by VAST Bhutan. Lham has been active in VAST Bhutan for more than 16 years, first receiving encouragement from the organization and later helping Bhutanese youth develop their artistic skills.
Given annually, the Rubin Art Prize honors artists inspired by traditional Himalayan art forms and techniques who have significantly contributed to dialogue between Himalayan art and contemporary life.
