Picturing the Divine

October 24, 2000–June 10, 2001

Exquisite and often unusual depictions of the multifaceted Hindu deities of India—their adventures, families, incarnations, and esoteric forms—are the focus of this exhibition of masterworks from the museum’s collection. Dating from the late sixteenth through the early nineteenth century, these small vivid paintings on paper illustrate the vitality of Hindu imagery and the range of northern India’s painting traditions. They also demonstrate the creative and unconventional taste of Dr. Stella Kramrisch, pioneering scholar in the field of India Art and curator at the museum for nearly forty years. Most of the featured works formed part of the personal collection she left to the museum, and the rest were acquired during her tenure as curator.