Boston— With generous support from Nalini and Raj Sharma, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is presenting a groundbreaking exhibition that brings vivid Hindu devotional prints—rarely displayed in the United States—into the spotlight.
Titled Divine Color: Hindu Prints from Modern Bengal, the exhibition opens January 31 and runs through May 31, 2026, in the Lois B. and Michael K. Torf Gallery.
For generations, colorful prints of Hindu divinities have been an integral part of daily life for Hindus in India and across the global diaspora. Found in homes, temples, factories, offices, vehicles, calendars, and shop counters, these images serve as objects of worship, cultural identity, and artistic expression. Despite their ubiquity and influence, such works have long been overlooked by the traditional art world.
Organized by the MFA, Divine Color is the first exhibition of its kind in the United States to focus exclusively on the radical emergence of Hindu prints created by Bengali artists in 19th-century Calcutta—now Kolkata, in the state of West Bengal. These artists harnessed new lithographic technologies to produce mass-circulated images that transformed religious devotion, visual culture, and popular aesthetics across India.
The MFA is one of only two museums in the U.S. to collect these rare early prints. Of the thousands originally produced, only a small fraction has survived. The exhibition presents nearly 40 vibrant lithographs, including works such as Sri Sri Krishna Balaram (circa 1910–20), published by Kansaripara Art Studio. In total, more than 100 objects are on view, encompassing prints, paintings, sculpture, and textiles drawn from the MFA’s South Asian collection, along with select loans.
Together, these works illuminate how devotional imagery shaped Indian popular culture while reflecting broader social, religious, and political currents of the time. The exhibition also highlights the artistic innovation of Bengali printmakers whose work bridged sacred tradition and modern visual mass media.
Divine Color is included with general admission and is accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue produced by MFA Publications. The catalogue features scholarly essays and high-quality reproductions of nearly 50 rare lithographs, offering deeper insight into the historical and cultural significance of these works.
Exhibition Details:
Divine Color: Hindu Prints from Modern Bengal
January 31 – May 31, 2026
Lois B. and Michael K. Torf Gallery
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Additional Support Provided By:
The William Randolph Hearst Foundations
The Dr. Robert A. and Dr. Veronica Petersen Fund for Exhibitions
