Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) presents art and culture from around the world, including India.

The museum’s art collection is considered among the finest of its kind. It showcases an unrivaled and diverse spectrum of outstanding Asian/American art as well as architecture. Peabody, which is among the largest holders of Indian art in the West, including European countries, is specifically known for its rich collection of works ranging from colonial times to the present times, spanning almost 200 years. It boasts of masterpieces by Raza, Husain, Manjit Bawa, Rameshwar Broota, and Atul Dodiya among others, among others.

According to recent media reports, about 50 works of Indian art from the museum are slated to find their way into the art arena this year. The works to be showcased in India will be from the museum’s rich post-Independence collection.

The CEO and executive director of PEM, Dan Monroe, and the curator of its South Asian and Korean sections, Susan Bean were in India recently to speak on on the subject of ‘future of museums in India and beyond’. The discussions, organized by the Harmony Art Foundation, were pegged to the scheduled exhibition.

They during their visit to India met senior officials of the ministry of culture. They also visited National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), the National Museum, the Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) as well as the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in Delhi to get a sense of how works are presented in India.