Image from pixabay

Krisha Mansukhani

It’s uncertain when our favourite art museums will open up, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t indulge in art watching. Most museums have upped their digital game and are showing their collections virtually.
Today, on World Museum Day, explore these collections online.
1) National Museum in New Delhi
One of the most important museums in the country is the National Museum in New Delhi. Dive deeper into its collection through Google Arts & Culture. The Delhi museum has a digital version of most of its treasures, including the inscribed sword of Tipu Sultan and the statue ‘Indus Dancing Girl’ from 2700 BC.
‘Indus Dancing Girl’ Image from National Museum, New Delhi

 

2) Incredible India 
Incredible India is another must-see if you’re interested in learning more about Indian history through art. Launched by the Ministry of Tourism, this initiative doesn’t just focus on museums India has to offer, but also on the amazing natural beauty, including tiger reserves and beaches.

3) International Art & Culture 
If you feel like discovering art & culture from around the world, there are plenty of ways to do so. Apart from Google Arts & Culture, which displays collections from over 2500 museums, world-renowned museums are launching their own endeavours. Spend this time discovering almost anything, from the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris, the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums to carefully curated weekly tours at the MOMA.
Image from pixabay
4) Mumbai museums

Mumbai is home to two very important museums, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya and Dr Bhau Daji Lad City museum. Their collections are available on Google Arts & Culture as well. Moreover, their Instagram handles and YouTube channels have some fascinating talks and workshops for everyone.

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#ClimateMW: In 2018, the Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum hosted ‘Asymmetrical Objects’, an exhibition that explored the critical discourse about environmental degradation in the current geological age of the Anthropocene. The exhibition was curated by Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, Director, BDL Museum and co-curated by Himanshu Kadam, Curator, BDL Museum 'Anthropocene' describes geological time in the earth's history during which human activity has had a dominant influence on the climate & environment. The exhibition marked the 10th anniversary of the Museum’s reopening in 2008 after an intensive five year long restoration project that began in 2003. The Museum invited 10 eminent artists whose practice includes an interest in art and science, to respond to ideas about the Anthropocene. Nature and Science were the founding principles of the Museum that was established in 1857. The exhibition took its cue from these earliest impulses and juxtaposed it with our ongoing engagement with the prevailing 'environment'. Is healing and redemption possible? What does the future hold? The exhibition aimed to articulate a visual vocabulary to address these inquiries. Images: 1) Jitish Kallat, Aquasaurus, resin, paint and steel, 2008 2) Manish Nai, Untitled, Compressed used clothes, Aluminium, 2018 3) Mithu Sen, I have only one language; it is not mine, video installation, 2014 4) Atul Bhalla, Vaitarni, Archival Pigment Print (ed. 1 of 3), 60 x 48 in, 2017 5) Rohini Devasher, Spheres, Video and drawing installation, 2017 6) Reena Kallat, Siamese Tree, 2017- 2018 7) Shilpa Gupta, Shadows 3, Interactive video with sound, 2007 8) Prajakta Potnis, Capsule, Lightbox, 72 x 120 in, 2012 9) Sahej Rahal, The Walker XV, Salvaged objects around the museum, 2018 10) Ranbir Kaleka, House of Opaque Water, 2012-2013 #BDLMuseum #ClimateMW #museumweek2020 #museumweekindia #mwindia #bdlonline #asymmetricalobjects #contemporaryart #environment #anthropocene #climatechange

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5) Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
If you are the lover of the arts, you can not, not check out the social media handles of the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art. They have nit just been showcasing their impressive collection but also engaging its viewers with different quizzes, story-telling and DIY sessions.

 

Read the article ‘Kiran Nadar plans another massive arts and culture centre in India’

Read the article ‘Madras Modern: Regionalism & Identity exhibition tells us a lot more about our forgotten arts’