Press

From a Renaissance fixation to a 21st century journey through Buddha’s life, niche museums are changing the way we look at art and history. Forty-eight-year-old A.P. Shreethar, a self-taught painter from Chennai, wants to build a Mona Lisa museum one day, a space which will house remakes of one of the most exalted Renaissance paintings.

“The treasures on display at the Museum include the Khamsa of Nizami, a manuscript of Nizam Ganjavi’s poems. The museum also exhibits artwork from the Bengal school of painting. The core of the painting is from the legendary Tagore collection that was broken up in the early 1940’s, when Kasturbhai Lalbhai decided to acquire it.”

Curator and archivist Deepthi Sasidharan explains how museums can be turned into places that enchant and enlighten visitors. “Why on earth should one remove one’s footwear to enter a museum? Why shouldn’t one take pictures inside a museum? Famous museums the world over don’t have such strange restrictions. It only discourages visitors and museums thrive

Pramod Kumar K.G. talks about the tragedy of Indian museums and what can make a change.