Join Sangeetha Kowsik — Hindu Chaplain, Spiritual Advisor of NYU, and Founder of NYU Hindu Center — for a talk in conjunction with the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibit, “Household Gods: Hindu Devotional Prints — 1860-1930”.
This talk will feature Museum experts, including curators, conservators, scientists, and scholars, for a deep dive into a selection of exhibition objects in the galleries. Hear new insights and untold stories from Met insiders and take a closer look at the works of art, as well as ask any questions you may have!
This event is free with museum admission, and museum admission is free to all NYC residents.
Learn more about the talk here.
About the exhibit:
In Hinduism, the act of darshan, or “seeing god,” is central to worship. This intimate exchange between deity and devotee traditionally takes place in the temple. But within each home is also a shrine, dedicated to that householder’s chosen deity. The need to display an image of the divine in the home was traditionally fulfilled by small icons made of clay or metal. In the mid-19th century, new technologies were introduced into India, first photography and then the chromolithographic press. The latter permitted the production of inexpensive prints of the Hindu gods for mass consumption. These proved immensely popular and for the first time in India, even the humblest home could afford a colorful icon of their chosen god to display in the household shrine.
Household Gods: Hindu Devotional Prints, 1860–1930 presents the first encyclopedic exhibition of these chromolithographic prints from the pioneering studio presses of Calcutta (Kolkata), Poona (Pune), and Bombay (Mumbai). These mass-produced prints became a powerful means of expressing Indian religious identity at a time when the country was experiencing the first stirrings of the Independence movement.
Featuring approximately 120 works, shown in four rotations, from The Met’s collection of chromolithographic prints, along with paintings and portable triptych shrines, Household Gods provides a unique window on the vibrant tradition of Indian devotional imagery on the cusp of modernity.