Bihar Museum, a veritable jewel of art history, tucked away in Patna, a historic town in India, celebrates its foundation day on 7th August 2022 by unveiling ‘Women and Deities’, an art exhibition that pays an ode to feminine power, her innate beauty, her seamless strength of character. It will continue for two months. Bihar Museum is a dream project of the Chief Minister of Bihar, Shri Nitish Kumar which was brought to fruition by Shri Anjani Kumar Singh, Director General Bihar Museum is planned to precision by Canada-based consultancy firm Lord Cultural Resources. This sprawling space is the creation of Japan-based Maki & Associates and its Indian partner POLIS, Mumbai. The completed museum is spread over 5.6 hectares, having 24000 square meters of built-up area.
The museum’s nine permanent galleries house art and artifacts that are eclectic not just in their vintage but also their artistic disposition. Curated by Dr. Alka Pande, the exhibition will showcase stone, terracotta, and bronze sculptures as well as art from the reserve and contemporary art collection. It comprises of 154 art objects. The artworks capture women through the ages, ranging as back as the 2nd century, with a rich inclusion of contemporary art. The first terracotta of the dancing girl, 8cm tall, belonging to the second century before the Common Era.
The richly illustrated catalogs will have additional 26 images from their display collection, this will include the sculpture Didar Ganj Yakshi is the jewel in the crown of the museum. There will be a dozen art objects from leading contemporary artists like Arpana Kaur, Jayashri Burman, and Anjolie Ela Menon amongst others.
