Reimagining the Muraqqa - Works from the Waswo X. Waswo Collection

Reimagining the Muraqqa presents traditional paintings from the 18th to the early 20th century, collected by the artist Waswo X. Waswo over fifteen years from local painters, workshops, and bazaars in Rajasthan. Generously gifted to MAP, this collection includes portraits of royals and aristocrats, depictions of lesser-known sects, tantric imagery and mythological subjects, Nathdwara paintings of Shrinathji, and eclectic works that resist simple classification. The sixty-plus paintings in this book shed light on the evolution of artistic practices with declining royal patronage and the changing visual culture of the region.

Using the lens of a muraqqa, a pre-modern album, this book, and the exhibition it accompanies, meditates on what a contemporary assemblage might reveal, what meanings emerge through proximity, annotation, and the mere act of looking.

With insights into Waswo X. Waswo's artistic practice and his thoughts on collecting, Reimagining the Muraqqa invites readers to consider how traditions are transformed and how a collection that grew organically through chance encounters, stoked by curiosity and inspiration, can spark new conversations.