Ugo Rondinone Steps Up to Help Buddhist Center John Giorno Brought to New York

The Padmasambhava Buddhists first came to New York from Tibet thanks to artist-poet John Giorno, who welcomed its leading lights to his Bowery loft in the 1970s.

Now, Giorno’s husband, the artist Ugo Rondinone, is helping secure the future of the Padmasambhava Buddhists Center, which is based primarily in the Catskills, by organizing Art for Meditation: A Benefit Auction at Sotheby's, which concludes today, July 14.

The auction features pieces by Rondinone and Giorno, along with works by artists including John Currin, Carroll Dunham, Alex Katz and Cady Noland among others

The Buddhist Center was founded by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, an author, yogi and supreme leader from Tibet, whom Giorno first met in 1971 before following him to India to become his student. After returning to New York, Giorno and a group of like-minded friends established a meditation room in the city.

Rondinone recalls how Giorno’s Bowery loft became a place where visiting teachers stayed, adding, “For 28 years, every New Year’s Eve, for three days, (they) held a traditional fire ceremony in John’s loft and fireplace to clear away the obstacles of the old year and welcome the new.”