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| GreenHeart "Art to Heart" Overview
For nearly 25 years, the Bartholomew Collection of Bhutanese textiles has been in storage. During this time, MarkO Bartholomew pursued cultural studies in the Yucatan and later in Laos, where he now resides with his family of three young daughters. MarkO Bartholomew is embarking on a new path in 2008. Due to his Collection's rarity and great cultural significance, it is of the utmost importance that these extremely frail treasures be properly conserved and promoted. Mr. Bartholomew's desire is to increase public awareness of Bhutan's rare and unique textile art and to find a home of honor for his Collection. This is an exciting time for those who value the rarity and beauty of Bhutan's cultural arts tradition. During 2008/2009, a unique collection from Bhutan titled The Dragon's Gift: Sacred Art of Bhutan will be touring the world beginning at the Honolulu Academy of Arts in Hawaii. This exhibit will then travel to the Rubin Museum in New York and the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco before heading to Europe and Asia. During the summer of 2008, the Smithsonian Institution's annual Summer Folk Festival in Washington, D.C. will exclusively feature the culture of Bhutan. In January 2008 MarkO Bartholomew made direct contact with the royal government of Bhutan and the royal family to discuss his intentions to exhibit specific sacred artifacts from his Collection in conjunction with the Dragon's Gift exhibitions. A number of these sacred relics, such as the 2nd King's Dragon Crown, are intended as "Gifts" to their original owners from Bhutan.
Mr. Bartholomew now wishes to focus his efforts on his family and more
charitable deeds. The time has come to transform these historical art objects
into philanthropic activities, namely the GreenHeart Foundation, which was officially approved by the Laos government in December 2007. Benefactor
Sought for World Cultural Heritage Mission Statement The objective of this project is to store, insure, conserve, exhibit then find a permanent home for the world's most distinctive Bhutanese textile art collection. Some of the revenues generated will be utilized for funding the GreenHeart Foundation in Laos. Overview Mr. Marko Bartholomew is currently seeking funding to support the GreenHeart Foundation's mission to help clear UXO in Laos. To support this project, Mr. Bartholomew has decided to sell his entire collection or a significant part of the whole collection, or key individual pieces. Any benefactor, as an offer of goodwill, may offer selected pieces to Bhutan for possible placement in Bhutan's newly-opened National Textile Museum or the planned Royal Textile Academy. This is an unprecedented opportunity to participate in the conservation and preservation of the pristine cultural heritage of the mystical Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. These collections are unsurpassed in their quality, range and scope, as acknowledged by world experts in the field of Asian textiles. (References to this effect from world textile experts are available upon request.) Indeed, as the most highly regarded tangible records of Bhutan's cultural heritage, these textiles deserve to be properly protected and cared for to maintain their legacy and to ensure that the evolution of this cultural art form will continue to flourish. Vision Through this “Art to Heart” Project, Mr. Bartholomew seeks to make manifest a transformation of this extraordinary textile art into charitable deeds through the GreenHeart Foundation. A significant portion of all revenues received will be allocated to this foundation to contribute to the clearing of the vast amount of unexploded ordinance in the Bartholomew family’s nation of residence, Laos. The urgency of this cause is critical, given that Laos has the tragic distinction of being the most bombed country in the history of the world’s warfare and mortalities continue in the hundreds to this day. In short, the sooner this vital work is supported, the more lives that will be saved. Additional monies generated will be contributed to the Bhutan Cultural Preservation Foundation, established in 1988 by MarkO Bartholomew. The foundation has a dual purpose: 1) to educate the public about Bhutanese art and culture; 2) to assist in the delicate task of protecting, preserving, and finding a home for his Collection. Background Mr. Marko Bartholomew has spent the past 35 years researching, assembling and caring for the largest and most unique collections of Bhutanese textiles in the world. This was more in the nature of a personal spiritual journey than any mere business venture. After 25 years in storage, these collections are now being retrieved for conservation, exhibition, and permanent placement in a home of honor. Opportunity These unique collections present the benefactor with a rare opportunity to contribute to the conservation and preservation of world heritage textile icons as well as towards the important UXO efforts ongoing in Laos. Information To contact Mr. Bartholomew, please send an email to admin@greenheartfoundation.org Provenance of The Bartholomew Collections It is generally accepted that "provenance" is the preeminent factor in determining the cultural art historical significance, rarity, and value of any particular art object. In the case of Mr. Marko Bartholomew's Bhutanese textile collection, the provenance of his pieces is simply in a class of its own, predating other collections by more than a decade. No other textile scholar, collector, or merchant had such direct contact with these Royal individuals during this period. Given Mr. Bartholomew's pioneering endeavors in this field, he was able to locate and acquire a tremendous number of pieces that were only available at this time, when Bhutan first opened her doors to the world in 1976. Most of these pieces were acquired between 1976 and 1982 directly from their original owners. MarkO took possession of these pieces ouside of Bhutan's borders, mainly in northeast India and Nepal. This singular provenance is in fact the distinguishing characteristic and hallmark of this unique and unsurpassed collection. Mr. Bartholomew is in ongoing discussions with Her Majesty the Queen of Bhutan and the Royal Government of Bhutan since his third Royal Government invitation to Bhutan in June, 1999. This invitation was from Foreign Minister Lyonpo Jigme Thinley. During his 5-week stay, Mr. Bartholomew was granted a 3-hour audience with Her Majesty Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck. During this time, both the Royal Family and the RGB stated clearly that the propriety and future placement, including sales and exhibitions of Mr. Bartholomew's collection, would be solely determined and executed by Mr. Bartholomew or subsequent owners, with no violation or infringement upon the Royal Government of Bhutan. Facts The Wall Street Journal ("Bhutan's Lost Art", 09 August 2001) calls Marko Bartholomew a world-recognized expert on Bhutan textiles, "an American...who has amassed the world's greatest collection of textiles from the remote Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan." The Asian Wall Street Journal adds (10 August 2001) that it was Mr. Bartholomew "who first revealed to the world the exceptional beauty of weavings from Bhutan." Beyond their acknowledged value as one of the world's most intricate and complex textiles, virtually all of these historic heirloom pieces possess some combination of royal, mystical, mythological, religious, and anthropological attributes. Presently, the Bartholomew Collection encompasses an unparalleled collection including the most historically significant Bhutanese textiles known.
The following major museums have purchased important Bhutanese textiles directly from the Bartholomew Collection to augment their own permanent collections of Asian textile art:
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