Peabody Essex Museum celebrates rich Indian art tradition.

A new thematic show entitled, ‘Of Gods and Mortals’ features India’s traditional art at the world-famous museum. It brings out how art forms a crucial aspect of daily life in India. An accompanying release mentions:

“The importance of sculpture, textiles, paintings and every other art form comprises two basic categories, one related to religious practices and the other to the expression of prestige and social position.”

The museum hosted ‘ReVisions’ show that looked at Indian artists skillfully engaging traditions. It comprised works by some of noteworthy Indian artists like Jogen Choudhury and Ravinder Reddy to suggest how thousands of years of rich history continues to inspire contemporary art practice in the country.

Indian artists draw upon popular local themes and proven techniques, even while maintaining a strong connection with the fast-evolving global art world. Susan Bean of The PEM museum in a recent interview revealed that they planned to showcase works from the renowned Herwitz collection in India.

A new installation of works from its collection of exquisite Indian art features pieces, representing the 1800’s to the current era. As is evident, PEM continues to provide a major thrust to contemporary Indian art.