Kachen Lobsang Phuntsok

CHINA, Tibet, Shigatse

Kachen Lobsang Phuntsok was a Tibetan artist who served as a court painter for the Tenth Panchen Lama. He entered Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse when he was 9 years old, and when he was only 11 years old, Kachen was chosen to specialize and receive formal training in the arts. Due to his exceptional work, he was later selected by the Tenth Panchen Lama to be an imperial painter in 1958. Kachen was appointed as a junior supervisor during the restoration and painting projects at Dechen Kelzang Palace in Shigatse in 1958, and Dorje Palace in Lhasa in 1962. He also was the chief overseer of the painting project of the Dungten Tashi Namgyel and Dungten Sisum Namgyel halls at Tashilhunpo Monastery.
An accomplished thangka painter, Kachen depicted such figures as Maitreya Buddha, Manjusri Bodhisattva, Tara, and Sixteen Arhats. He also painted a set of 12 thangkas at the request of the Chinese Buddhist Society and by the decree of the Tenth Panchen Lama. He was faithful to the teachings of the Tenth Panchen Lama and committed himself to educating young artists. He inherited the New Menri style and promoted a traditional Tibetan style of painting.