Ep. 18: Behind the scenes of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston with Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art Laura Weinstein
How does one preserve and manage a venerable American institution’s priceless art collection spanning several millennia and vast regions of Asia? Or go from a casual childhood encounter with Bollywood music to a coveted role as curator of one of the largest collections of Indian art in the U.S.?
Join me in this fascinating conversation with Laura Weinstein, as she shares a glimpse of her work as the Ananda Coomaraswamy Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. If you have any interest in art, this episode is a must-listen!
Hear the full episode below or on iTunes here, and don’t miss images from the collection and the full Shownotes below!
One side of Laura’s favorite object from the MFA, depicting a symbolic representation of the Buddha
Slab from the wall of a stupa , about late 1st to early 2nd century A.D.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The other side, re-carved at a later date, depicting the more familiar, seated Buddha figure
Slab from the wall of a stupa , about 3rd century A.D. (obverse)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
SHOWNOTES FOR EPISODE 18:
Take a virtual trip to the MFA through Google Arts & Culture
Laura’s favorite museum in India: Jawahar Kala Kendra, the cultural institution designed by Charles Correa in Jaipur
The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, some of whose works are included in the Google Art Project
A NYT review of “The Sultans of Deccan India: Unearthly Treasures of a Golden Age”, the 2015 exhibition and the related 2008 Symposium at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Check out their beautiful catalogues and the lecture videos I loved for a deep dive into this world.
More on Ragamala paintings
A History of God The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam By Karen Armstrong
Follow us on Instagram for more on Laura and the places, events and work we discussed in this episode!
Special thanks to Aman Moroney @ Flying Carpet Productions for audio post-production engineering!
An example of the art Ananda Coomaraswamy brought to the MFA
Devi Enthroned
Indian, Pahari. Originally painted about 1660–70; face and some jewelry repainted about 1800. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Provenance: By 1916, purchased in India by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy (b. 1887 - d. 1947); 1917, sold by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy to Denman Waldo Ross (b. 1853 - d. 1935), Cambridge, MA; 1917, given by Denman Waldo Ross to the MFA. (Accession date: April 5, 1917)
Credit Line: Ross-Coomaraswamy Collection
Portrait of Ananda K. Coomaraswamy, 1916
Alvin Langdon Coburn (American, 1882–1966)
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
