A Compassionate Eye: Photographs by the Venerable Matthieu Ricard
27 March to 6 May 2007

The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation and the University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong are pleased to present the exhibition "A Compassionate Eye: Photographs by the Venerable Matthieu Ricard". The exhibition features large-scale photographs depicting the landscape, people and culture of the Himalayas.

The Venerable Matthieu Ricard was born in France and brought up among Paris's intellectual elite. He studied photography and classical music and holds a doctorate in biochemistry from the prestigious Pasteur Institute. In 1972, he travelled to India, where he began his studies in Buddhism. During this trip he decided to forsake his academic career to devote himself to a spiritual path, and became a monk, a respected scholar of Tibetan texts, and an artist.

The Venerable Ricard has photographed the spiritual masters, landscape, and people of the Himalayas for over thirty years. He has published several albums of photography including, Journey to Enlightenment, Buddhist Himalayas, Monk Dancers of Tibet, and Tibet - An Inner Journey. His work has been exhibited in New York, Paris and various other cities in Europe and the US.

Ricard is also the author of several books including The Monk and the Philosopher, and The Quantum and the Lotus. His latest book on the meaning of happiness, Happiness, was listed by Time Asia as one of the best books of 2006.