The Raja Ravi Varma Heritage Foundation, in collaboration with National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru, conducted a special event on 10th March 2018.
The Foundation returned to Raja Ravi Varma’s multidimensional legacy, his documenting adornment - both jewellery and textiles. Speaking on the subject was Dr Usha Balakrishnan. She has a PhD in Ancient Indian Culture and post-doctorate degree in Museum Studies from the New York University. She pioneered and steered the Mughal Jewellery project at the Brooklyn Museum and was India’s representative for Sothebys.
She has authored and co-authored many books including the Dance of the Peacock, the Jewels of the Nizam (which is the only publication recording that precious legacy), Splendours of the Orient, Icons in Gold, Bejewelled Past among many others.
She has also curated many exhibitions including those at the National Museum, New Delhi, Kremlin Museum, Moscow and the Fowler Museum at Los Angeles.
Dr Usha Balakrishna presented this lecture earlier at the Foundation in November 2017 for a closed door audience of the FICCI Ladies and YPO. It was on this occasion that we officially launched our collaboration with Google Arts and Culture, wherein reproductions from the Ravi Varma press which had been showcased at NGMA Bengaluru, earlier, was made available to the world.
We received many requests to hear Dr Balakrishnan, so we invited her again. The turnout to the talk was tremendous with more than 150 guests attending.
Click here to view invitation.
