Sixteen paintings by luminaries of modern Indian art will be featured in 'Bharat Ratna! Jewels of Modern Indian Art', on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), from November 14, 2009 – August 22, 2010. These vibrant "Bharat Ratna", literally “jewels of India”, are drawn from the renowned collection of Mr. and Mrs. Rajiv Jahangir Chaudhri, who have assembled some of the finest examples of post-Independence Indian art. The exhibition represents the first time that a significant number of works from this collection will be displayed publicly. It is also the first exhibition of modern Indian art at the MFA, and the first exhibition of Indian art at a major American museum in nearly 30 years.

“The Chaudhris have collected some of the most outstanding examples of modernist and contemporary Indian art, which document the evolution of a vibrant and influential artistic period in India, “said Malcolm Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the MFA. “The MFA is grateful for the opportunity to display such exquisite treasures.”

Rajiv Chaudhri says, “I am a firm believer in the idea that the art of all ages and regions is the common heritage of mankind. Since Egyptian, Greek, and Chinese art are part of my heritage, it follows that I also believe that Indian art is, or should be, part of the heritage of America, Europe and other regions of the world.”

'Bharat Ratna!' offers a visually exciting dialogue between the evolving modernism of western art and the deeply rooted traditions of India and the multiple different approaches that Indian artists took, in the aftermath of Independence, to define their own and “Indian” art. On view in the MFA’s Indian Paintings and Decorative Arts Gallery, the exhibition includes works by several of the leading artists of the last 60 years. All 16 works will be featured in a 32-page color publication, which includes essays by Rajiv Chaudhri and Edward Saywell, Chair of Contemporary Art and MFA Programs, and curator of 'Bharat Ratna!'

Rajiv and Payal Chaudhri have generously lent several of their works to the MFA in recent years and have enhanced the Museum’s displays of contemporary art from South Asia. They are Patrons of the MFA, and members of its Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa Visiting Committee. Chaudhri is President of Digital Century, a financial services firm that he founded in 1997. Previously, he was the global head of semiconductor research and member of the investment strategy committee at Goldman, Sachs & Co. He was the founding Chairman of the Indocenter of Art and Culture in New York, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the presentation and support of modern and contemporary art and culture of South Asia, which ran from 2000-2002.

Payal Chaudhri is a marketing strategy consultant and has been an art patron in New York for more than a decade. She serves on the boards of the Guggenheim International Directors Council, the Asia Society's Chairman's Circle, and the Tate Modern's International Council. Mrs.
Chaudhri is also a patron of Art Dubai.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is recognized for the quality and scope of its encyclopedic collection, which includes an estimated 450,000 objects. The Museum’s collection is made up of: Art of the Americas; Art of Europe; Contemporary Art; Art of Asia, Oceania, and Africa; Art of the Ancient World; Prints, Drawings, and Photographs; Textile and Fashion Arts; and Musical Instruments. *