Krishna playing with the gopis in the Yamuna, circa 1770, India; Himachal Pradesh, Nurpur, opaque watercolor and gold on paper, Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase and partial gift from the Catherine and Ralph Benkaim Collection; Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund, 2018.118

Longing: Painting from the Pahari Kingdoms of the Northwest Himalayas
February 6 – June 7, 2026
953 Eden Park Drive

Don’t miss your chance to view Longing: Painting from the Pahari Kingdoms of the Northwest Himalayas at the Cincinnati Art Museum before it closes June 7. Featuring more than 40 works of art, the exhibition showcases vibrant court paintings from present-day India, spanning the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. These small, portable paintings were produced for royal and noble patronage by artists practicing unique artistic techniques. Influenced by the region’s culture and politics, they portray moments of leisure, religious devotion, and political positioning, and were given as gifts between regional nobility, families, and political allies.  Many paintings portray devotional acts meant to connect with the divine; others depict individuals and couples who yearn for romantic dalliance; still others portray rulers and noblemen who longed to be at the center of political control.

Organized around the theme of “longing,” the exhibition encourages visitors to experience art as multisensorial. Select paintings are paired with olfactory stations, touch opportunities, and musical soundscapes to heighten the work’s bhava (emotion or mood) and to encourage multiple ways to physically, intellectually, and emotionally connect with art.

To learn more, click here.