SACKLER TO EXHIBIT INDIAN MINIATURE PAINTINGS FROM THE JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH COLLECTION
Released: January 26, 1998
Cambridge, Massachusetts - The special exhibition Rasika, The Discerning Connoisseur: Indian Paintings from the John Kenneth Galbraith Collection will be on display at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum from January 31 through April 5, 1998. The exhibition will present a selection of works from a collection of Indian paintings generously donated to the Art Museums twenty-five years ago by John Kenneth Galbraith, the University's Paul M. Warburg Professor of Economics, emeritus, and former U.S. ambassador to India. The exhibition celebrates the discerning taste of Professor Galbraith, who is described by the exhibition's organizer, Rochelle Kessler, as a contemporary rasika, or scholar-connoisseur. Rochelle Kessler is the acting assistant curator in the Department of Islamic and Later Indian Art. The Sackler Museum is located at 485 Broadway in Cambridge.
The works to be exhibited were painted in the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries for patrons from the Rajput courts of Rajasthan, Malwa and the Punjab Hills. They reveal a rich visual legacy in which traditional religious, poetic, and courtly themes abound. Inspired by classical Indian religious and literary works, the artists have presented personifications of love and heroism in a world where the line between the human and divine is often blurred. For instance, in a number of paintings an amorous dalliance between a mortal nayaka (hero) and nayika (heroine) is transformed into the divine love play between Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha.
The paintings in the John Kenneth Galbraith Collection encompass a wide variety of styles which reflect threads of artistic influence from the Mughal court, neighboring Rajput kingdoms, and the preferences of the patron. Two paintings in the exhibition, An Encounter at a Well (Rajasthan, Kishangarh, ca. 1745) and Nayika and Her Lover (Punjab Hills, Basohli, ca. 1660-70) reflect distinct styles from these diverse sources.
Although the use of a varied palette, naturalistic shading, recession into space and atmospheric perspective in An Encounter at a Well remind us of the close political and artistic ties between the Kishangarh and Mughal courts, the artist has used a very traditional Indian theme-love at first sight. Here, the often told story of the village boy and girl meeting at the local well is transformed into an otherworldly romantic encounter between a princely youth and a beautiful young woman adorned in royal finery.
By contrast, the painting Nayika and Her Lover exhibits a notably pure Rajput style. Large, flat expanses of brilliant, pure color enhance the emotional impact of the subject, set within the confines of an architectural frame. The adherence to a more pristine Rajput style in these early Basohli paintings may reflect the predilection of the royal patron and the lack of political interaction with the Mughal court during that period.
Professor Galbraith's appreciation for Indian miniature paintings developed during his tenure as ambassador to India from 1961 to 1963, under President John F. Kennedy. Among the friends who nurtured his love for India and its art were the late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the late Mohinder Singh Randhawa, a key founder of India's Government Museum and Art Gallery in Chandigarh. Professor Galbraith assembled one of the most important collections of Northern Indian paintings in this country. His generous donation of eighty paintings from this collection has deeply enriched the collections of the Harvard University Art Museums and has provided an invaluable gift for students, scholars, and visitors to share.
Gallery Talks
Gallery talks are free with the price of admission to the Art Museums. Hearing assists are available for gallery talks; arrangements should be made beforehand by phoning (617) 495-8286. To request a sign language interpreter, the public should call (617) 495-2397 using Massachusetts Telephone Relay Service 1-800-439-2370 three weeks in advance of the gallery talk.
Sunday, March 8, 2:00 p.m., Arthur M. Sackler Museum
Rochelle Kessler, acting assistant curator in the Department of Islamic and Later Indian Art and exhibition curator
Saturday, March 21, 2:00 p.m., Arthur M. Sackler Museum
Rochelle Kessler, acting assistant curator in the Department of Islamic and Later Indian Art and exhibition curator
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The Harvard University Art Museums' facilities are wheelchair accessible. For general information, please call (617) 495-9400. For press information or photographs, please contact Kate McShea Ewen at (617) 495-2397. For more information on events, please contact the Friends, Fellows, and Special Programs Office at (617) 495-4544. World Wide Web: www.artmuseums.harvard.edu.
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The Harvard University Art Museums comprise three museums (Busch-Reisinger Museum, Fogg Art Museum, Arthur M. Sackler Museum), all located on the Harvard University campus in Cambridge, MA, at the intersection of Quincy Street and Broadway, adjacent to Harvard Yard. The Art Museums are open Monday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., and Sunday 1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Closed holidays. Admission is $5.00; $4.00 for senior citizens; $3.00 for students; free under 18 and on Saturday mornings. For special tour reservations, please call (617) 496-8576. General tours are offered Monday through Friday from September through June. The Fogg tour is at 11:00 a.m.; the Busch-Reisinger tour is at 1:00 p.m.; and the Sackler is at 2:00 p.m.
The Harvard University Art Museums is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. -end