Botticelli Masterpiece to Go on Display at Bengaluru NGMA Exhibition

Italian Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli’s 1490 masterpiece, Madonna and Child, is set to go on display for the first time in Bengaluru starting Thursday at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA).

The artwork will be featured in an international exhibition titled "One Mother, Many Mother Tongues", organised jointly by the NGMA, the Italian Consulate, and the Union Ministry of Culture.

Arriving in Bengaluru following an initial preview in Delhi, the showcase places the Renaissance painting alongside several ancient and historic works. Featured exhibits include ancient Etruscan Mater Matuta figures, a Kushan-period Hariti, and a rare 6th-century Skandamata sculpture from Udaipur.

Giandomenico Milano, Consul General of Italy in Bengaluru, explained that the city was selected to host the masterpiece because of its expanding bilateral significance. He noted that Bengaluru plays a central role in Italy's engagement with India, with over 100 Italian companies actively operating in the city. Milano described the showcase as a significant milestone ahead of the 2027 India-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism, observing that cultural initiatives add a human dimension to expanding industrial partnerships.

Co-curator Naman P Ahuja outlined the thematic concept behind the gallery's arrangement, pointing to contrasting representations of motherhood positioned at opposite ends of the venue. Ahuja stated that one end features the compassionate mother prepared to sacrifice her child, contrasted on the opposite end by Chamunda, portrayed as ready to destroy anyone who threatens her child.

The exhibition is supported by Prestige Group, with Rezwan Razack’s Museum of Indian Paper Money serving as the cultural partner. The exhibition will be open to visitors through September 20.