Divine Women, Divine Wisdom

June 26, 2019–December 8, 2020

Art from South Asia and the Himalayan region that celebrates the beauty, fecundity, wisdom, power, and compassion of women within the context of Hindu and Buddhist traditions.

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Two Taras, Nepal, 18th century; gilt copper repoussé; 11 3/4 in. high (each); on long-term loan to BAMPFA from a private collection.

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Wednesday, June 26, noon
Curator’s Talk: Julia White on Divine Women, Divine Wisdom

Senior Curator for Asian Art Julia White leads a walkthrough of this exhibition celebrating the wisdom, power, and compassion of women in Hindu and Buddhist art from South Asia and the Himalayan region.

BAMPFA

Divine Women, Divine Wisdom

June 26, 2019–December 8, 2020

BAMPFA from Home

While the museum is temporarily closed, please enjoy the exhibition through this online resource:

Slideshow

BAMPFA from Home

While the museum is temporarily closed, please enjoy the exhibition through this online resource:

Slideshow

For millennia and throughout the world, secular and religious art has celebrated the power and beauty of women in representations of the female form. In art from South Asia and the Himalayan region, women are often depicted and appreciated within the context of Hindu and Buddhist traditions for their beauty, fecundity, wisdom, power, and compassion. This exhibition seeks to explore the feminine image and the female role in the great traditions within a particular region of Asia. The elegant representations of women as classical beauties can be seen in an early second- or third-century Gandharan sculpture of the goddess Tyche, who is closely associated with good luck. Later, within the Buddhist tradition, she becomes the deity Hariti, who with her consort Pancika are regarded as the model couple. The sweet face of a girl in Bust of a Young Woman, which was made at about the same time and within the same Gandharan tradition, underscores the mastery of the sculptor who brought to life the simple innocence of a girl lost in her own thoughts. Images of robust women both large and small represent South Asian ideals of beauty that emphasize the fecundity of their bodies. Within the Himalayan tradition the sensual is replaced with measured restraint and a contemplative appearance. The divine Tara is understood through her gracious gaze to embody a deep spiritual understanding and compassion. On the other hand, Prajnaparamita, shown with multiple arms and armor-like jewelry, exudes great power as the personification of wisdom.

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Divine Women, Divine Wisdom is organized by BAMPFA Senior Curator of Asian Art Julia M. White with Assistant Curator Stephanie Cannizzo. Unless otherwise noted all works are on extended loan from a single private collection. This exhibition is supported in part through the Asian Art Endowment Fund.

Divine Women, Divine Wisdom

June 26, 2019–December 8, 2020

Past Events

Curator’s Talk: Julia White on Divine Women, Divine Wisdom