#IndiaAtTheMet: Asian treasures inside one of the world's great museums

New York: Museums have changed beyond recognition - they are no longer the boring places they used to be, barely relevant to real life. The world’s best museums have undergone a spectacular transformation and they want you to visit. Text necks, selfie-obsessors, teens and kids welcome. [caption id=“attachment_2649444” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Screenshot of a 10th century ‘Dancing Ganesha’ from the Met website[/caption] One of the biggest draws is contemporary art and that’s what the aspirational Met Breuer in New York City is highlighting as it gets ready to alter the entire eco system of a great city’s artscape. For the first time ever, an Indian artist is firmly in the spotlight of a top museum’s inaugural exhibition - the Nasreen Mohamedi retrospective at the Met Breuer which opens to the public March 18. The 146 year old Met has put its hat in the ring and bringing on a daring mix of iconic and obscure pieces that are distinct from the other giants of New York’s cultural landscape as the clamour rises for more diversity in art reflective of a swiftly changing demographic. Mohamedi’s paintings are all set to hog the spotlight at the inaugural raft of exhibitions at the Met Breuer. Taking the India and South Asia theme forward, resident artist, Vijay Iyer will occupy The Met Breuer’s Lobby Gallery in March, performing jazz on piano and upending the concept of a typical art installation. Artists who will join Iyer include Rafiq Bhatia, Michelle Boulé, Matt Brewer, Teju Cole, Stephan Crump, Miranda Cuckson, Liberty Ellman, Amir ElSaffar, Patricia Franceschy, Marcus Gilmore, Graham Haynes, Okkyung Lee, Steve Lehman, Roopa Mahadevan, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Mat Maneri, Nitin Mitta, Adam O’Farrill, Elena Pinderhughes, Prasanna, Mark Shim, Jen Shyu, Wadada Leo Smith, Tyshawn Sorey, Tyshawn Sorey Trio, Becca Stevens, Anjna Swaminathan, Rajna Swaminathan, Craig Taborn, and Mark Turner. Iyer’s latest work A Cosmic Rhythm with Each Stroke is a tribute to Mohamedi’s frugal yet explosive style. Mohamedi died in Mumbai ( then Bombay) in 1990 when she was just 53. Her art, although it spans just three decades is “a powerful odyssey” says Sheena Wagstaff, the celebrated chief curator of MetBreuer. The Mohamedi exhibition from March to June 2016 at The Met Breuer is by far the most comprehensive exhibition of any Indian artist in the United States - presented by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and supported by Nita and Mukesh Ambani and The Reliance Foundation. If New York is the “city of second chances for immigrants”, as Suketu Mehta says, the same applies for threads of art and culture that link this new wave of immigrants to their roots. For a generation absorbed so intensely with fascination of the ‘now’, Met Breuer seeks to inform connections between past and present. Better education and appetite for art go well together and museums hold up a mirror to immigrants about where they fit in a wider world. For precisely this reason, Asians in America are more likely to be museum goers. We bring you a sample of the sights you might encounter in this world famous museum that holds within its majestic walls “5000 years of human creativity.” Hot off the press is this useful nugget for visitors : The $ 25 entry charge is only a “suggested” one, you can pay what you want, under museum policy. The change comes into effect to coincide with museum’s new branding efforts and the opening of Met Breuer location in the former Whitney Museum building.

“#VishnuAvatars” represents a largely unrecorded category of medieval Indian devotional art. https://t.co/ZifRJX8r7h pic.twitter.com/kV2tUWMplq

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 22, 2016

Read @TheArtNewspaper’s preview of The #MetBreuer, opening March 18. https://t.co/YzT9NSCdZH pic.twitter.com/YahzX7y2gC

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 23, 2016

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This shrine depicts the three prevailing deities from early Tibetan Buddhism. https://t.co/RTdRG5vB6e #AsianArt100 pic.twitter.com/k38TXq4I6l

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 10, 2016

See The #MetBreuer before it opens to the public. #MetMembers Opening Week begins 3/8. Join: https://t.co/sHHjcuypxt pic.twitter.com/f0aB6OE9ps

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 8, 2016

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This year’s Lunar New Year Festival comes to a close with traditional dances from across Asia. #MetFest #AsianArt100 pic.twitter.com/1lBN8WaaQV

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 6, 2016

"When an artist is in love... that’s communicated." —Arlene Shechet. https://t.co/Q1nq3BuY0f #MetArtistProject pic.twitter.com/yHEONhj0VT

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 5, 2016

"Temple of Dendur’s Lost Colors Brought to Life at the Met" —@nytimes https://t.co/dge9eBiok6 #MetFridays pic.twitter.com/ctNzvLsDxL

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 5, 2016

"The Met Goes Modern: The #MetBreuer Opens With ‘Unfinished’ Artworks." —@WSJ https://t.co/mCjYYgidaV pic.twitter.com/FCVUDKQkA5

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 3, 2016

Saturday, visit the Asian Art galleries during #MetFest for a tour of #ChinesePainting. https://t.co/rHwXGFG4cO pic.twitter.com/2diX89osLl

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 2, 2016

Maitreya, known as the Buddha of the Future, carries a flask of amrta, the elixir of life. https://t.co/KaWbcNHq8A pic.twitter.com/x3k9DTW3IQ

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 1, 2016

“Encountering Vishnu” presents rare, devotional art from late medieval India. https://t.co/LLnvjSfDVx #VishnuAvatars pic.twitter.com/OdUVovVo23

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) January 30, 2016

Learn about Le Corbusier and the radical changes in design that occurred from 1925-1950. https://t.co/mvBeFKf0Ip pic.twitter.com/3DCYUFM9oL

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) January 27, 2016

This installation showcases the most important #ChineseTextiles from the collection. https://t.co/ubLzOAKrbk pic.twitter.com/1jHJpd2I6T

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) January 24, 2016

#MetKids fun fact: Talk about persistence! Monet painted water lilies more than 250 times. https://t.co/KEw7PZ4ykT pic.twitter.com/C7XnHRFJIH

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) January 23, 2016

Friday evening, visit gallery 209 for a free drop-in drawing session. https://t.co/mWR7z9usIu #MetFridays pic.twitter.com/wlQFwMFoXZ

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) January 13, 2016

Season 5 of The #MetArtistProject is live! Explore 5,000 years of art with living artists. https://t.co/enp5NQ1DFN pic.twitter.com/moWAhk9DjA

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 29, 2016

A Book Conservator in The #MetLibrary examines some of the bugs that love (to eat) books. https://t.co/TDT45Q7nH4 pic.twitter.com/vmsNoPjovE

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 28, 2016

Imported from India, the lotus is linked to Buddhist images of purity and rebirth. https://t.co/csy5fxKFMH pic.twitter.com/n57mUOouzX

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 27, 2016

“Scenes in and around the Capital” presents panoramic views of Kyoto and its suburbs. https://t.co/8AKOFiSgr5 pic.twitter.com/zBIUa7NT06

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 26, 2016

“Masterpieces of #ChinesePainting,” includes works from the Tang Dynasty to the present. https://t.co/aehWCAkiqd pic.twitter.com/gCJHaZdcxP

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 25, 2016

Season 5 of The #MetArtistProject premieres on Monday, February 29. Watch the trailer now: https://t.co/Z55gHwb2SShttps://t.co/n0CAunjWmI

— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) February 23, 2016