MAP Bangalore triggers compelling conversations among art enthusiasts
Located at the heart of the millennium city, South India’s first major private art museum The Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) commands the attention of viewers with more than 18,000 works of art on display, be it textiles, paintings or other artefacts dating from the 10th century to date.
With the aim of making India’s museum-going culture more active and enriching, and taking art and culture to the community, the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) invites people to experience art and heritage in new ways. The imposing five-storey building includes art galleries, an auditorium, an art and research library, an education centre, a specialised research and conservation facility, as well as a cafe.
Showcasing a huge collection of over 18,000 works of art, chiefly from South Asia and dating from the 10th century to the present, the Museum offers the opportunity to explore and learn about the historical and economic significance of artefacts through regularly curated digital exhibitions on a variety of themes, genres, and Indian artists.
MAP’s collection is quite diverse and can be categorised into six key genres:
- Pre-Modern Art
- Modern & Contemporary Art
- Photography
- Textiles, Craft & Design
- Popular Art
- Living Traditions
MAP’s textiles, craft and design collection includes the exquisite textile traditions of the subcontinent, such as patolas, chintz hangings, kalamkaris, pahari rumaals, phulkaris and kanthas, in addition to works representative of many other techniques and styles. Apart from this it also treasures a variety of decorative arts such as furniture, design, and jewellery that demonstrate the extraordinary technical expertise of Indian artisans working in these fields.
Active Loans Programme
MAP is committed to providing access to its collections through the loan of objects to both regional and international educational institutions for educational and scholarly purposes. The whole purpose behind the active loans programme is to consolidate the profile of Indian art globally by making the diverse artworks in MAP’s collection accessible to larger audiences, hence putting them at par with cultural institutions across the globe.
Earlier, works of art from the MAP collection have been included in exhibitions at The Met (New York), the Tate Modern (London, UK), the Indian Heritage Centre (Singapore), the Bahrain Museum (Manama, Bahrain) and the Smith College Museum of Art (Massachusetts, USA). The Museum has also loaned its artworks within the country to the National Gallery of Modern Art (Bangalore & New Delhi), the Piramal Museum of Art (Mumbai) and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (New Delhi).
Enjoy the perks of unconventional exhibitions
The unusual organising principle of MAP’s exhibitions lets you map the intrigues of various sections, as it creates riveting juxtapositions across time. MAP’s last few exhibitions such as Painted Stitches, Woven Stories II, Stories on a Banana Leaf and Rock City encompassed a range of traditional arts, crafts and pop culture of metropolitans.
At MAP, impacting and mobilising the next generation to the heritage of the country is of prime importance: a cause that will be achieved through a variety of educational programmes as a part of the museum’s outreach. In order to cater to a large audience it features specially designed technological tools, and a 360-degree approach to accessibility for people with special needs. The team at MAP is committed to establishing art and culture as a soft power tool of global diplomacy, and will strive to bridge the gap between cultural institutions and the community.
The Museum in India certainly offers a chance for people to be able to soak in the whole history of Indian cultural heritage and regional cultural inheritance in a global perspective under one roof, and in conditions that best preserve and show off the pieces.
Explore their digital museum on map-india.org.