Smithsonian Talk - Modernism's Muse: The Indian Presence in European Art 1880–1930
PAST EVENT | 08 November 2019 17:00 - 08 November 2019 18:30
In the 19th century, European exchanges with Indian ideas, and with Indians themselves, had a decisive impact that contributed to the eruption and shape of Modernism in the West. In his recently edited volume, Prof. Ahuja examines the great modern artists of Europe in light of their fascination with India.
Apart from touching on the foundations of New Age movements, this talk, based on a new book, A Mediated Magic: The Indian Presence in Modernism 1880-1930, also reveals how the modern perception of India fed back to India, and reconfirmed the Indian intelligentsia’s self-image. So enduring is this legacy that it has been invoked repeatedly: most famously in the 1960s hippie counter-culture, and again, today, with the rise of religiously grounded identity politics. Who were the key mediators of the idea of the magic of India to the modern world, and what was the nature of that mediation?
Dr Naman P. Ahuja is Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Co-Editor of Marg Publications. He has curated a number of exhibitions on classical and contemporary art; most notably – The Body in Indian Art and Thought (2013: Brussels and Delhi). In collaboration with the British Museum, he recently co-curated India and the World: A History in Nine Stories (Penguin, 2017) at the National Museum, Delhi and CSMVS Mumbai. His recent book is The Art and Archaeology of Ancient India, Earliest times to the sixth century (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford 2018).
The Smithsonian Speaker Series is co-organised by the Smithsonian UK Charitable Trust and Pembroke College, the alma mater of James Smithson (1782-1785), the founder of the US Smithsonian Institution, a network of 19 museums based in Washington DC.
The event is free to attend, and you can register via EventBrite.
The talk is followed by a drinks reception.
Smithsonian Talk - Modernism's Muse: The Indian Presence in European Art 1880–1930
PAST EVENT | 08 November 2019 17:00 - 08 November 2019 18:30
In the 19th century, European exchanges with Indian ideas, and with Indians themselves, had a decisive impact that contributed to the eruption and shape of Modernism in the West. In his recently edited volume, Prof. Ahuja examines the great modern artists of Europe in light of their fascination with India.
Apart from touching on the foundations of New Age movements, this talk, based on a new book, A Mediated Magic: The Indian Presence in Modernism 1880-1930, also reveals how the modern perception of India fed back to India, and reconfirmed the Indian intelligentsia’s self-image. So enduring is this legacy that it has been invoked repeatedly: most famously in the 1960s hippie counter-culture, and again, today, with the rise of religiously grounded identity politics. Who were the key mediators of the idea of the magic of India to the modern world, and what was the nature of that mediation?
Dr Naman P. Ahuja is Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and Co-Editor of Marg Publications. He has curated a number of exhibitions on classical and contemporary art; most notably – The Body in Indian Art and Thought (2013: Brussels and Delhi). In collaboration with the British Museum, he recently co-curated India and the World: A History in Nine Stories (Penguin, 2017) at the National Museum, Delhi and CSMVS Mumbai. His recent book is The Art and Archaeology of Ancient India, Earliest times to the sixth century (Ashmolean Museum, Oxford 2018).
The Smithsonian Speaker Series is co-organised by the Smithsonian UK Charitable Trust and Pembroke College, the alma mater of James Smithson (1782-1785), the founder of the US Smithsonian Institution, a network of 19 museums based in Washington DC.
The event is free to attend, and you can register via EventBrite.
The talk is followed by a drinks reception.