Watch 'Ramayana' in NYC: The Met to showcase Indian epic through 30 paintings next week

Here’s an interesting addition for the to-do list of those travelling to New York over the next few months: a chance to 30 paintings that narrate the popular story of the Indian epic, the Ramayana.

The epic is set to be the focus of an upcoming exhibition opening at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Fifth Avenue in New York. It will open on August 10, and be open for public viewing till August 23, 2020. The The exhibition is organized by Kurt Behrendt, Associate Curator in the Department of Asian Art at The Met, with the paintings largely drawn from the museum’s collection.

As per a press note, the works on display were produced for the Rajput and Pahari courts of north India between the 17th and 19th centuries and will be augmented by four textiles. “Highlights of the exhibition, which will be presented in two rotations, include a rare 19th-century painting titled Tantric Form of Monkey God Hanuman that is a new addition to The Met collection. The work is a recent gift from Steven Kossak and this is the first time it is being displayed publicly,” said the note.


While the Met brings to visitors images from India that are a couple centuries old, the Met Breur (also part of the Met, but a space devoted to modern and contemporary art) has mounted a large retrospective of sculptor Mrinalini Mukherjee’s work. On view till September 29, this exhibit “has been made possible by Nita and Mukesh Ambani and the Reliance Foundation.” as per the museum’s website. More than 50 sculptures by Mukherjee are a part of the exhibit.