FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Durga: Avenging Goddess, Nurturing Mother
October 7, 2005 - March 27, 2006
Exhibition Opening: October 6, 7:00 p.m.
Press Preview: October 6, 5:00 p.m.
Opening is free for Museum members; others are invited to attend but must pay general admission
Norton Simon Museum
411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, CA
Contact: Leslie Denk
Tel: (626) 844-6841, Fax, (626) 796-4978
E-Mail: <ldenk@nortonsimon.org>
Web site: <http://www.nortonsimon.org>
Illustration from a Devimahatmya: Durga Engages the Buffalo Titan, c. 1825
India: Himachal Pradesh, Guler Workshop
Opaque watercolor on paper
Norton Simon Museum, Gift of Ramesh and Urmil Kapoor
Pasadena, CA. – The Norton Simon Museum presents Durga: Avenging Goddess, Nurturing Mother, a 5,000-square-foot exhibition exploring the many incarnations of the great Hindu goddess Durga and the ways she is depicted throughout South and Southeast Asia. The exhibition opening this fall will coincide with Durga Puja, a 10-day festival honoring the goddess that is held every autumn in Bengal and in communities throughout the world, including Pasadena.
Approximately 70 artworks from India, Tibet, Nepal and Southeast Asia will be featured, among them rare works on paper including watercolor folios and folding manuscripts, a festival altar and exceptional bronze and stone sculpture, many of which have never been seen by the public. These works illustrate the dual nature of the goddess, that is, Durga as a fierce and strong warrior, bearing a variety of weapons in her many hands while she battles a host of demons, and Durga as a loving and protective mother, playfully caressing her young child or holding an abundance of fruit, which symbolizes her powerful fertility.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum will present a series of public programs, including lectures, dance performances, children’s workshops, a symposium, a film screening, and exhibition walkthroughs. For a complete list of events, visit <http://www.nortonsimon.org/events> .
A 42-page exhibition catalogue will be available for purchase for $14.95 in the Norton Simon Museum Store, by calling (626) 449-6840 ext. 406, or by downloading an order form at <http://www.nortonsimon.org/store>.
