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Monday
10 am–5 pm
Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
10 am–5 pm
Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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Explore two linked galleries that follow the thread of South Asian art through a shifting history of occupation and independence.
Bridging myth with social and political history, the Chester and Davida Herwitz Gallery tells the story of nation-building and self-discovery through works by India's most celebrated artistic geniuses of the 20th century. Following independence from British rule in 1947, artists in India aimed to uncover a visual language that was uniquely Indian in inspiration to convey their experiences, struggles, ambitions and dreams.
The Prashant H. Fadia Foundation and Deshpande Foundation Gallery features a selection of objects from PEM's extensive collection of historical material from India. Focused primarily on the 19th century, the gallery considers India's long and complex history of foreign occupation, and its troubling impact on the representation of Indian people in art. Featuring some of the earliest objects to come to PEM, including unfired clay sculpture, mica paintings and Kalighat paintings, the gallery considers and questions the timeless tropes of India that persist even today.
Share your impressions with us on social media using #PEMsouthasian.
The following donors have generously supported the South Asian Art Galleries: Carla and David Herwitz, the family of Lisina Hoch, Smita and Mahesh Patel, Brian and Sunita Pereira, and Jurrien Timmer.
Nalini Malani, Old Arguments on Indigenism, 1989. Acrylic and oil on canvas. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2001. E301088. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Walter Silver/PEM.
Biren De, August ’78, 1978. Oil on canvas. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2001. E301031. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Walter Silver/PEM.
Maqbool Fida (M.F.) Husain, Kauravas (Mahabharata 17), 1971. Oil on canvas. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2001. E301285. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Barbara Kennedy/PEM.
Maqbool Fida (M.F.) Husain, Ganga Jamna (Mahabharata 12), 1971. Oil on canvas. The Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 1998. E300244. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Mark Sexton and Jeffrey R. Dykes/PEM.
Sudhir Patwardhan, Ceremony, 1984. Oil on canvas. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2003. E301191. Peabody Essex Museum.
Maqbool Fida (M.F.) Husain, Untitled, 1986. Oil on canvas. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2003. E301288. Estate of Maqbool Fida Husain. Photo by Jeffrey R. Dykes/PEM.
Gulam Rasul Santosh, Untitled, 1973. Oil on canvas. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2001. E301212. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Walter Silver/PEM.
G. Ravinder Reddy, Woman ’95, 1995. Fiberglass and gilding. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 1999. E300456. Peabody Essex Museum.
Maqbool Fida (M.F.) Husain, Dacoit, about 1980. Oil on canvas. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2003. E301046. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Jeffrey R. Dykes/PEM.
Gieve Patel, Gateway, 1981. Oil on canvas. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2003. E301102. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Walter Silver/PEM.
Gieve Patel, Two Men with Hand Cart, 1979. Oil on canvas. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2003. E301289. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Barbara Kennedy/PEM.
Tyeb Mehta, Untitled, 1973. Acrylic on canvas. Gift of the Chester and Davida Herwitz Collection, 2001. E301099. Peabody Essex Museum. Photo by Walter Silver/PEM.
Curator tour
Take an in-depth look at PEM's South Asian Art Galleries with former curator Siddhartha V. Shah.
The Mahabharata: An animated retelling
The Mahabharata is the longest epic in human history, known across India by people of all ages, regions and faiths. A condensed adaptation of the story helps introduce some of the characters and critical moments represented in paintings in PEM's South Asian Art gallery.
The Indian Subcontinent
For thousands of years, shifting empires and kingdoms have claimed territories and dictated changing borders within the Indian subcontinent. This map concisely illustrates the movement of India's boundaries from the Mughal empire to the present.
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