Dr. Cristin McKnight Sethi earned her M.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Her research examines South Asian art of the early modern to contemporary periods with a particular focus on the production and circulation of textiles and craft. She has held curatorial and research positions at a number of museums including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is currently Assistant Professor of Art History at the George Washington University.
A Galaxy of Musicians, one of Ravi Varma’s most famous paintings, depicts 11 Indian women who appear to be in the midst of an elaborate musical performance.
The diverse objects from South Asia that fill the world’s museums and are valued as important works of art can sometimes be daunting to teach and study.
Not all tangible cultural heritage is in need of preservation, and sometimes a community requires, even celebrates, the destruction of cultural objects.