Botticelli’s Madonna and Child arrives at NGMA Bengaluru

Karnataka Tourism Minister KJ George inaugurates the highly anticipated One Mother, Many Mother Tongues exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Bengaluru today. Running until September 20, the event brings together 26 magnificent Indian and Italian artefacts to explore themes of motherhood, feminine identity and the maternal bond.

Renaissance magic meets ancient Indian art at Bengaluru’s new motherhood exhibition

The undisputed highlight of the showcase is Sandro Botticelli’s Renaissance masterpiece Madonna and Child, painted around 1490. On display in India for the first time following a stint in Delhi, the iconic painting presents the Virgin Mary in striking red and blue robes against a backdrop of complex stone architecture. Co-curators Naman P Ahuja and Andrea Anastasio have deliberately juxtaposed this celebrated European canvas with ancient Indian goddess carvings to highlight contrasting cultural interpretations of maternal devotion. Within the basilica-inspired gallery space, Naman and Andrea have carefully designed a fascinating visual dialogue between different civilisations.

Organised by the Consulate General of Italy in Bengaluru alongside NGMA and the Union Ministry of Culture, the event forms a key pillar of the upcoming India-Italy special strategic partnership. The showcase is actively supported by the Prestige Group with Rezwan Razack’s Museum of Indian Paper Money stepping in as the official cultural partner. To further community engagement, Rezwan and the organisers have arranged dedicated guided visits, interactive educational outreach and school programmes to make this global historical heritage fully accessible to all attendees.

The gallery welcomes visitors from Tuesday to Sunday with free entry for minors holding valid identification.

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