August 2, 2019: Ramayana, the major epic from the Indian subcontinent, will be the focus of an upcoming exhibition opening at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Drawn from The MET collection, the exhibition will showcase 30 outstanding paintings that narrate the heroic and adventurous tale of Rama's rescue of his beloved wife, Sita from the evil king Ravana. Together with his brother Lakshmana and his ally Hanuman, Rama assembled a massive army of monkeys and bears, and traveled to Sri Lanka to confront Ravana and rescue Sita. The Ramayana also poses deep philosophical questions about kingship, morality, and Rama's role as a divine manifestation (avatar) of God Vishnu.
The works, presented in the exhibition, were produced for the Rajput and Pahari courts of north India between the 17th and 19th centuries. They include a rare 19th-century painting titled Tantric Form of Monkey God Hanuman, a recent gift from Steven Kossak and a new addition to The Met collection, which is a highlight of the exhibition, being displayed publicly for the first time. The paintings and textiles that will be on view capture the collective visual imagination of court artists in their efforts to give form to the dramatic 2,500-year-old Sanskrit narrative, which consists of more than 24,000 verses.
The exhibition, being held between August 10 and August 23, is made possible by The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation Fund and organized by Kurt Behrendt, Associate Curator in the Department of. Asian Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art with the hopes of bringing a touch of wonder and magic that is the Ramayana.
Exhibit Location: The Met Fifth Avenue, South Asian Exhibition Gallery, Florence and Herbert Irving Galleries, Gallery 251, Floor 3
