Art Institute of Chicago to exhibit more than 100 pieces of art of the Pushtimarg.
By Raif Karerat
The famed Art Institute of Chicago is slated to exhibit a series of paintings that collectively offer a unique glimpse into the culture of the Pushtimarg, a Hindu denomination from Western India.
“Gates of the Lord: The Tradition of Krishna Paintings” brings more than 100 pieces of art together from private and public collections in both the U.S. and India, and is the first major U.S. exhibition to explore the rich visual culture of the Pushtimarg.
According to the AIC:
The exhibition takes visitors through a year in Nathdwara, where the daily worship of Shrinathji is characterized by the changing seasons and a bustling festival calendar. Gallery by gallery, visitors are introduced to the pichvais used as backdrops for Shrinathji in his shrine, each uniquely suited to a particular season or festival. The accompanying miniature paintings offer further insight into the Pushtimarg sect: its mode of veneration, history, and important priests and patron families. Enhancing the experience of the sect’s rich culture are festival and devotional music, a shrine reconstruction, and touchscreen kiosks that allow visitors to page through religious manuscripts, an artist’s sketchbook, and a historic photo album. The exhibition concludes with an exploration of the works, sketches, and observations of prominent 20th- and 21st-century Nathdwara artists who have kept the painting tradition flourishing through the present day.
“Gates of the Lord” is comprised of drawings, pichvais, paintings, and historic photographs borrowed from two major private collections in India, the Amit Ambalal Collection of Ahmedabad and the TAPI Collection of Surat. These rare loans are augmented by important objects from a number of public and private collections within the United States, including the Art Institute’s own permanent collection.
The exhibit was made possible by industrialist Mukesh Ambani, his wife Nita, and the non-profit Reliance Foundation.