University of Illinois Museum showcases Radha-Krishna

Krannert Art Museum (KAM) of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is displaying paintings of Radha, Krishna, Mahabharata, etc.; in its “From Hand to Hand: Painting and the Animation of History in Northern India” exhibition, which will continue till May 12.

This exhibition shows paintings from the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, created from the late 1500s to the early 1800s. Some were inspired by bhakti movement, and it also includes a manuscript “Svasthani Vrata Katha”, reports suggest.

Commending KAM for exhibiting Hindu art, distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that art had a long and rich tradition in Hinduism and ancient Sanskrit literature talked about religious paintings of deities on wood or cloth.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged major art museums of the world, including Musee du Louvre and Musee d'Orsay of Paris, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Los Angeles Getty Center, Uffizi Gallery of Florence (Italy), Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern of London, Prado Museum of Madrid, National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, etc., to frequently organize Hindu art focused exhibitions, thus sharing the rich Hindu art heritage with the rest of the world.

KAM, founded 1961, claims to be the second largest general fine art museum in the state of Illinois. Its permanent collection includes over 10,000 artworks from the 4th century BCE to the present. Jon Seydl is the Director, while Lisa Kocheril is the Board President. This exhibition is curated by Allyson Purpura.