5000 Years of Indian Art demystifies the story of Indian art spread over the millennia. This visually stunning book offers a panoramic view of Indian art from pre-historic times to the contemporary period. The absorbing narrative links different predominant artistic genres (like prehistoric art, ancient Indian art of Vedic and Buddhist traditions, temple art, Mughal miniature painting, colonial art, modern Indian art, and contemporary art) that were prevalent in different eras, instead of following formally demarcated historical periods.
The illustrated tale encompasses the entire gamut from the earliest primitive markings on stones, caves, and frescoes to exquisite paintings, sculptures, modern photography, finely crafted artefacts, media-inspired work, popular installations, and other forms of contemporary art. The book displays around 200 select masterpieces of art from museums, galleries, and private collections around India and the world. The history of Indian art is as old as the civilization itself and every major period of history has given it newer modes of expression. This book successfully captures all the myriad influences that have enriched Indian art over the years.
Features works from the following museums: American Museum of Natural History, New York, Archaeological Museum, Sarnath, Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology, University of Oxford British Museum, London, Brooklyn Museum, New York, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Gujral Art Museum, New Delhi, Harvard Art Museum/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, Kabul Museum, Kabul, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, New Delhi, Indian Museum, Kolkata, Islamabad Museum, Islamabad, Lahore Museum, Lahore, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, Mathura Museum, Mathura, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Mus�e Guimet, Paris, Museum f�r Indische Kunst, Berlin, Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, National Museum of Pakistan, Karachi, National Museum, New Delhi, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, Patna Museum, Bihar, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, Sarnath Site Museum, Uttar Pradesh, Seattle Art Museum, Washington, Staaliche Museum of Berlin: 91, V & A Images/Victoria and Albert Museum, London Trustees of the British Museum, London .
Sushma K. Bahl MBE, is an independent arts consultant, writer, and curator of cultural projects. She headed the British Council's arts and culture policy and programme for India until April 2003. She has organised many exhibitions on Indian art in several countries and was involved in planning the first ever 'Festival of India' held in Britain in 1982. During her stint for three decades at the British Council, she worked on the Indian tours of Padshahnama from Royal Collection, Windsor Castle, and the Enduring Image exhibitions of the British Museum and the associated extensive outreach programmes besides other creative and significant projects. As a freelancer, Sushma Bahl has conceived and curated a series of seminal art projects and exhibitions like 'Fair & Furious' based on the theme of women; 'Ways of Seeing' that won the IHC Art India Award for the best curated group show; 'Vistaar', which was an interface between artists and designers; and Annanya, which was an overview of contemporary Indian art. She was the Co-director for Indian arts at the Gwacheon Hanmadang Festival in South Korea 2004, Guest Director for XI Triennale- India 2005, Co-curator for the V9/U9 Indo-UK Digital Art Project, Project Consultant for Bharat Rang Mahotsav X11, and a Jury Member for the 14th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh in 2010. She has edited, written, and contributed to several books on art and artists like Thota Vaikuntam, Paresh Maity, Satish Gupta, and Shuvaprasanna. Sushma Bahl is a trustee and advisory panel member of select cultural institutions in India and abroad like the National Gallery of Modern Art Delhi and Florence Biennale in Italy. She lives in Delhi, India.
