The Philadelphia Museum of Art has appointed Katherine Anne Paul as the Stella Kramrisch Curator of Indian and Himalayan Art, a role named after the pioneering scholar and curator. Paul previously served as Assistant and Associate Curator of Indian and Himalayan Art at the PMA from 2002 to 2008, and most recently held the Virginia and William M. Spencer III Curator of Asian Art position at the Birmingham Museum of Art, where she also served as Lead Curator. She holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and has curated notable exhibitions including "Silver & Ceremony from Southern Asia 1830–1930" and "Expanding Darshan: Manjari Sharma, To See and Be Seen."
This appointment matters because it brings a deeply knowledgeable curator back to an institution with a renowned collection of Indian and Himalayan art, strengthening the museum's commitment to research, exhibitions, and public engagement with South Asian visual cultures. Paul's extensive experience, linguistic expertise, and track record of community collaboration position her to advance the museum's mission and enhance its role as a leading center for South Asian art scholarship and presentation.