The most distinctive collection of Tibetan art in the Western Hemisphere is on view in eight permanent galleries.  The centerpiece of which is a Buddhist Altar consecrated in 1990 by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
Take the virtual tour of the Tibetan Buddhist Altar.

The Museum's collection of Tibetan art numbers over 5,000 objects.  Beginning in 1911 (and continuing until the 1940s) medical missionaries transferred remarkable items from along the Sino-Tibetan border to the Museum.  Paintings, sculptures, ritual objects, fine textiles, documentary photographs and decorative arts are featured in the galleries through such themes as the Tibet Information Zone—an interactive, educational resource for individuals and families on Tibetan life and culture—as well as the Chapel of the Masters; Chapel of Fierce Protectors; Pure Lands and Paradises and three galleries devoted to the arts of Tibetan secular life.