ABOUT ZARA
About Zara
ZARA FLEMING
Zara is an independent art consultant, lecturer, tour guide and exhibition curator with specialist knowledge of Buddhist art; focusing on the art and culture of Tibet and the Himalayas.
Lecturing experience includes the Arts Society (formerly NADFAS), the School of African and Oriental Studies, the V & A, Merseyside County Museums, the Oriental Museum in Durham, the Royal Academy, the Brunei Gallery, Asia House and to schools, universities and various study groups. She has also lectured in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
Initially based at the Victoria & Albert Museum, with general responsibility for the Tibetan, Himalayan and Burmese Collections (1974-81); Zara was then affiliated with the Central Asian Department at Bonn University cataloguing the Tibetan and Mongolian collections of all UK Museums and private collections, part of a larger cataloguing project throughout Europe (1981-88) and was the Assistant Projects Director in Europe for the Orient Foundation (1984-5).
She has curated several exhibitions including “Man and Environment in Harmony“ for Vistech International, London (1992), “In the Steppes of Genghis Khan” at the October Gallery in London, 2003; “Asia – Body, Mind, Spirit” for the Wellcome Library and Asia House, 2004 and “The Tiger in Asian Art” at Asia House, 2010. And prepared the educational material for the “Sacred Art of Tibet – Wisdom and Compassion” exhibition at the Royal Academy in London (1992).
Art consultant and Curatorial Advisor for the Worlds Culture Gallery (Buddhism), the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside (2001-4); Art consultant and British Advisor for the Centre for Cultural Heritage in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia (on a catalogue of Mongolian Buddhist art) and Art Consultant for the Orient Foundation (Classical Tibetan Arts website.)
Zara has been travelling in Asia since 1973 and has been the tour guide and guest lecturer on numerous trips to Bhutan, Ladakh, Zanskar, Spiti, Nepal, Mustang, Burma, Tibet ; and led the first British tour to Tibet in 1981.
She co-edited “Masterpieces of Mongolian Art; Vol 1” (published in 2011) and has contributed articles for art and travel publications, and journals specialising in Buddhist art and culture.
