The Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art announced a new exhibition, "Of the Hills: Pahari Paintings from India's Himalayan Kingdoms," on view from April 18 to July 26, 2026. Featuring 48 paintings and colored drawings, the show includes canonical masterpieces and never-before-displayed works from the renowned Benkaim Collection, acquired by the museum in 2017–2018. The exhibition explores collaboration and creativity across three key periods from 1620 to 1830, highlighting intricate details, naturalistic figures, and vivid stylizations created with materials like ground pigments, beetle wings, and gold.
The exhibition matters because it challenges traditional art historical methodologies by focusing on the impact of collaboration on creativity in India's Himalayan kingdoms, a region whose paintings are beloved but poorly understood. It also coincides with two related exhibitions at the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cincinnati Art Museum, fostering a broader scholarly dialogue. By bringing previously unseen works into public view, the show deepens understanding of Indian culture and opens new avenues for scholarship.