Life Histories: Dr. Alice Kandell Oral History - Incite at Columbia University

Alice Kandell is a Himalayan photographer, well known for her vast collection of Himalayan art and artifacts. This single life history interview consisted of two sessions, largely focusing on her Tibetan art collection and Himalayan photography.

The interview reveals how she became interested in the Himalayas, including her first trip to Sikkim after her friend Hope Cook's coronation as Queen following her marriage to Palden Thondup Namgyal, King of Sikkim. She subsequently explains how she acquired her art collection, and why she believes that, even for non-Buddhists, the religious meaning of the artifacts is an essential part of how they should be displayed in museums.

Kandell donated a Tibetan shrine room to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art, Sackler Gallery, and has written and taken photos for several books about the now-Indian state of Sikkim, alongside photos for magazines and projects. She also talks about her experience with anti-trafficking campaigns in Thailand, her service on the US Presidential Committee on the Arts and Humanities during the Clinton Administration, and her role as a delegate to the UN meeting on child trafficking. 

As a child psychologist, she worked at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Early Childhood Development Center. Her love of opera spans roles as Vice President of the International League for Human Rights, Chair of the International Vocal Arts Institute, Chair of the International Opera Alliance, Chair of the Athenians, and an opera actress with the Metropolitan Opera, alongside her own life as a mother—creating a rich tapestry of her life.