Tatjana Krizmanic’s Art of Bhutan: Visions of Transcendent Mountains and Rivers

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Tatjana Krizmanic’s Art of Bhutan: Visions of Transcendent Mountains and Rivers

By Raymond Lam
September 1, 2026

Tatjana Krizmanic, *Where Dragons Play*, 2025, oil and acrylic on canvas, 37cm x 108cm. Image courtesy of Tatjana Krizmanic

Bhutanese culture is ever-evolving, assimilating new influences while also finding continuous renewal and replenishment from its traditional past. The art of Bhutan, steeped in Vajrayana-influenced norms as it is, might at first glance range from the typical spectrum from conservative to experimental, ranging from the traditions of the Zorig Chusum to young Bhutanese artists reinventing, reinterpreting, and sometimes even subverting old ways. But internationally acclaimed painter Tatjana Krizmanic, a Croatian-American artist, is in the unique position of creating pastel and oil paintings of the Bhutanese landscape.

Krizmanic’s brushstrokes bring Bhutan to the world, but also help the world see Bhutan. Her elevation of Bhutanese landscapes and life to an international artistic discipline culminated in an exhibit called “Echoes of a Kingdom: A Tribute to the Bodhisattva King of Bhutan,” which was held at the Wangduechhoeling Palace Museum, under royal patronage. The opening of the exhibit on 25 September 2025 was attended by HM Queen Mother Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, who gave a speech celebrating Krizmanic and her series of seventy paintings.

The exhibit, which celebrates HM the Fourth Druk Gyalpo’s birthday anniversary, is the first solo contemporary art presentation by a Western painter in Bhutan’s history. It was already held twice at Wangduechhoeling Palace Museum (making the exhibit’s duration a total of nine months), before being moved to Royal University of Bhutan this July. It was also shown at the upcoming Drukyul’s Literature and Arts Festival from 1–3 August.

Tatjana Krizmanic, *Coronation Day*, 2025, oil acrylic and goldleaf on canvas, 62cm x 37cm. Image courtesy of Tatjana Krizmanic

As much as she is a painter guided by the traditions of masters like Chagall and Matisse, Krizmanic has been a practitioner of the Vajrayana tradition for over thirty-five years. Initially guided into Buddhism by Dzigar Khontrul Rinpoche, she is part of an online Dorje Drollo practice group that practices meditation on the Eight Manifestations of Guru Padmasambhava. She has spent years practicing Longchen Nyingthik (literally “Vast Expanse Heart Essence”), a body of Nyingma teachings that is considered the heart essence of the 14th-century master Longchenpa’s work, which was in turn revealed by the terton Jigme Lingpa (1730–98).

Her opportunity to take time out of her busy schedule between working in New York and Croatia and visit Bhutan came relatively recently. “My very first trip to Bhutan was in 2023, at the invitation of Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, grandson of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche. Of course I said yes to him, and that was my first experience in Bhutan,” Krizmanic told me over a video call. “We went to Bumthang and Tiger’s Nest and there was not much to it except the beauty of the country. When we left, I doubted we’d ever come back again. But the next year, a documentarian called Mark Elliot asked me to help with the production of a film about Dilgo Yangsi Rinpoche.”

Tatjana Krizmanic. Image courtesy of the author

In 2024, her online practice group decided to go to Tiger’s Nest again. This time, however, she and her son met Tshering Tashi, a businessman and steward of Bhutanese society (who is also our mutual friend, and has published his own articles on Tea House). In his curatorial essay for the exhibit, he recalls suggesting to her that she “channel this vision into a collection that pays tribute to His Majesty. At the time, I knew nothing of her international repute.” In his words, she renders ordinary life with brilliant color and warm cheerfulness, her hand boosted by her immersion in Tibetan Buddhism and the deep, contemplative quality that infuses her art. Her exhibit, she has shared with other media, is as much about her reverence for the Fourth King as her artistic vision: “I prioritize storytelling, respect for a place’s cultural heritage, and the sense of place that is unique to every location,” she said.

Tatjana Krizmanic, *Willows on the Road near Paro*, 2025, oil on panel, 18cm x 24cm. Image courtesy of Tatjana Krizmanic

Krizmanic will never forget her vision of the remote, high-altitude gewog (village block) called Lingzhi, which is located in northern Thimphu, Bhutan, along the Tibetan border. High up at altitudes between three and six thousand meters, Krizmanic was inspired to paint one of her proudest pieces, “Dreams of Lingzhi” (oil on panel, 24 x 18 meters, 2025)—but her pilgrimage to this location came after her painting it. “This piece is special to me because I had a dream and it felt very significant. I woke up and I had to go paint it before the image in my mind’s eye evaporated. I did so as accurately as I could. And then I started to show it to my friends who had been to Tibet, because I thought this was Tibet, right? No one knew. But then my son, who was helping me in the studio and assisting with the exhibit, suggested that I look up the most remote monastery in Bhutan. We looked it up and that was it. What an insight from him!” laughed Krizmanic.

Tatjana Krizmanic, *Fields of Promise*, 2025, oil on canvas, 62cm x 37cm. Image courtesy of Tatjana Krizmanic

“This was the place called Lingzhi. And when I went to Bhutan, I said to my friends that I had to get there. The woman who sponsored much of the exhibit’s logistics and who is also my student, said that she knew exactly where that was, and that she’d been there. She sent me a photograph that looked exactly the same place as the scene in my dream.” Known for the 17th-century Lingzhi Yugyal Dzong, yak farming, and cordyceps harvesting, Lingzhi is a picturesque representation of Bhutanese life. To get there one either needs to ride a helicopter or endure a five-day trek. “Next time, I would love to go there, to be present, and paint the area in person. And the other would be to have more chance to paint some of the rivers, during a time of the year when the waters are running strong,” said Krizmanic.

Tatjana Krizmanic, *Dreams of Lingzhi*, 2025, oil on panel, 24cm x 18cm. Image courtesy of Tatjana Krizmanic

Krizmanic looks back on the past few years of artistic and professional engagement with Bhutan with a sense of near-awe. Despite being known worldwide for her painting, she was a relatively unknown artist in Bhutan itself. Being catapulted into prominence within the Himalayan kingdom due to her exhibit has all but meant that she will return, and she wants to return. “I really want to go back. I never thought I would, yet I kept going back,” she reflects elatedly. I’ve learned not to expect anything, but the whole thing is deeply meaningful because the first time I ever even heard of Bhutan, like more consistently, is from my teacher who grew up there.”

She spoke fondly once more of her teacher, Dzigar Khontrul Rinpoche, noting that he grew up there and he would always speak about his home country to his students, describing its natural beauty and tranquillity as well as unique culture of modesty and kindness. “He suggested that we go to many of these places. He kind of guided the whole thing. You know, without being his student, I honestly don’t know how much I would understand the country.”

Tatjana Krizmanic, *Burning Lake*, 2024-25, oil on canvas, 36cm x 24cm. Image courtesy of Tatjana Krizmanic

Krizmanic’s exhibit may have been significant for its marking the Fourth King’s birthday anniversary last year, but it also potentially heralds a new generation of artists (Bhutanese and foreign alike) seeking to tell the story of the Himalayan kingdom through new artistic mediums and techniques. These modes of visual storytelling will inevitably transcend typical categories because Bhutan itself is unique, as is Krizmanic’s creativity. As “Dreams of Lingzhi” demonstrates, it is even possible to paint a sacred locale from the mind, without having yet been physically present. Krizmanic’s “terma-like” artistic vision will serve the kingdom well.